Mass Effect Pathways: Black Tides
by TheWerdna
Summary: A year has passed since the destruction of the Darkforge and Cerberus' defeat. Ria'Shepard, now a spectre, has been given her first real assignment. At first it looks simple, just another mission for the first quarian Spectre and her friends. But forces work behind the scenes, the whispers of an eons old shadow echo from the galaxy's darkest corners. Sequel to Mass Effect: Pathways
1. Chapter 1: Gathering Dark

_8/27/2211_

Distant peals of thunder echoed over towers of Nos Astra, heralding the oncoming of rain. Like an ocean wave the curtain of falling rain rushed in to shroud the great metropolis in a sea of mist and storm. Even as the rain fell harder, a lone quarian made her through the city's tangled streets. Her boots splashed out a rapid beat on the wet pavement as she hurried along, their music a counterpoint to the drumbeat of the water. Coming to a stop at the top of a long stairway, she spared an upward glance into the sky, droplets of water splashing against her mask as stared into the dark clouds swirling above.

_Dark, stormy and wet. If I were superstitious I'd say that's ominous. _Ria'Shepard shook her head grimly, continuing down the labyrinthine walkways between the skyscrapers towering above her. Her route descended into the city's lower levels where the deep shadows cast by the buildings made it feel as though she delved into a subterranean lair far removed from the light and warmth of day.

Over the past few weeks, fear had become her constant companion, its claws sinking into the base of her spine. Now those claws dug in deeper with every step as she felt unfriendly eye watching from every shadowed alley and darkened corner.

Ria glanced back over her shoulder, almost expecting to see a silhouetted figure trailing her through the freezing downpour. However the few living souls she encountered took no notice of her, hurrying past seeking refuge from the storm. _Get a hold of yourself, Ria_, the stern voice of the more rational part of her warned. _Even, if there's something out there, you can handle it. You can handle it. _She told herself those words over and over, hoping that by repetition they would come true.

Rounding a corner, Ria at last came within sight of her destination, a small bar by the name of _The Weeping Matriarch_. Stepping forward into the flickering light of its broken down neon sign, Ria gazed up at the hologram that depicted the eery white silhouette of an angelic figure with hands covering its face. _Well isn't that cheerful._

Council intel had sent her and her contact the name and location just over an hour ago, having chosen the spot for their meeting at random, to avoid the chance of prying eyes. Still, she wished they'd picked a less ominous location.

Taking a deep breath, Ria stepped through the bar's sliding doors into a room populated by a dozen or so down trodden faces sitting at shabby tables. The pale blue glow of the few overhanging lamps cast a depressing palor that only served to highlight the gloomy atmosphere. A few of the patrons turned, regard her with suspicious glares.

Ria silently cursed, noting not for the first time just how much the full armor she'd worn made her stand out from those around her. She'd known, of course, that the decision to do so would make it harder to stay inconspicuous. The alternative though, frightened her far more than some unwanted attention.

Ria took a seat at an empty table, maneuvering her chair to face the door. Minutes passed into an hour or more as she waited for the other spectre to appear. During this time there were a handful new arrivals, though each time the ragged men and women who entered seemed to take no notice of her.

The bar's gloomy atmosphere soon began to grate at the acute sense of unease gnawing at her gut. It was all to quiet, most conversations between the bar's patrons carried out in hushed tones. Through the soft murmurings the clinking of glasses and creaking of chairs sounding unnaturally loud to her ears, lingering in the air longer than they ought. As if in response to her thoughts, the bartender set some music to play through the overhead speakers. The forgettable, non-offensive club music dispelled some of Ria's unease along with the silence.

It was then that the bar's doors opened again with a hiss, Ria glanced up as she half expected to see yet another of disheveled face step through the door. Instead she was met with the sight of a tall, broad shouldered man wearing a dark gray coat. She recognized the man in an instant, after all, it was someone she'd known her entire life.

"Dad?" Ria whispered, her eyes meeting his as he took notice of her for the first time.

"Ria?" her father said, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Every ounce of fear that had been so strong before vanished in an instant as Ria stood, a smile of her own forming behind her mask.

His smile seeming to widen with each step, her father met her with a warm embrace that Ria quickly returned in kind. "Ria!" Shepard exhaled a surprised laugh over her shoulder, "Oh I've missed you, sweetheart."

"It's good to see you too, Dad." Ria smiled at ease for the first time in days.

"So, is this the part where you ask why I'm here?" Her father chuckled, pulling away to regard her at arm's length.

"I think I can guess on that one." Ria replied with a laugh of her own. "Still, I had no idea you'd be the one the Council would send. If I'd known …."

"Ha, I'd just been thinking the same thing," her father replied, at last loosening his embrace. "If I'd known, I would've worn something nicer." He continued, tugging at the hem of his coat to punctuate his point.

"I'd wondered what was up with the coat. Taking the whole secret agent thing to heart, or you tired of the old N7 armor?" Ria asked. She returned to her seat, her father sitting down next to her.

"Figured it would be a good idea to blend in a bit." Her father said, his mouth twisting into a lopsided smirks. "Besides, it _does_ makes me look like an action vid hero. How could I pass that up?"

"Dad, knowing the kind of ridiculous action vids _you_ like, the next thing you'll be doing is trying to jump a Mako over an exploding Dreadnaught. Then I'll have no choice but to pretend I don't know who you are," Ria countered.

"Damn, and I already had the dreadnaught picked out and everything," her father said, grinning back at her. "So, how have you been? We haven't had much of a chance to talk since your Spectre Induction ceremony last month."

"I've been worse." She answered, smiling. "Its just nice to finally be done with my training the and being back on the Invisible."

"So the council did decide to give you command back. I thought they might." Her father nodded.

"They seem to be under the impression that they'll be getting 'another Normandy' if they put me in charge again." Ria answered, shrugging again. "I'll try my best, but all I really did last time was stumble blindly into success."

"You're selling yourself short; you are a Shepard after all," her father assured her, giving her a warm smile.

Smiling at her father's confidence in her, Ria returned to answering his original question. "Anyways, its been nice to see the crew again: Tarran, Laura, and everyone else. Would you believe they actually threw me a 'welcome back' party?"

"Tarran's idea?" Shepard asked in a tone that was more a statement than anything else.

"Tarran's idea." Ria replied with mock seriousness. "The party went as well as you could have expected: things getting out of hand faster than you could say 'what's the worst that can happen?'. Tarran's fault, again."

"Hah, you'll have to tell me all about it when you have a chance." Her father nodded, his smile slowly fading into more serious expression. "So, business. What's going on?"

Her joy and relief at seeing her father drew back, leaving her all anxiety and paranoia surrounding her mission. Ria tapped finger against the table, silent as she pondered where to begin. "How much were you told?"

"Council wouldn't say much," her father replied, leaning forward as he spoke now in a undertone. "I thought it was a bit odd, honestly. I still don't know why-"

"I asked them too. Same reason I insisted they set up a separate meeting point; I had to be sure first," Ria answered quickly, keeping her voice low. "If I'd known it was going to be you, I would have just had us meet on the Invisible. Things probably would've been better that way."

"You didn't think you could trust another spectre?" her father asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically at this.

"I don't know who I can trust right now," Ria answered, shaking her head. "Over the past two weeks I've been lied to, stalked by spies, and attacked. After what I've been through. I can't trust anyone but my team."

Her father nodded slowly, gazing at her with evident concern. "What happened?"

"Well, it all really started two weeks ago when the council assigned me to-" Ria started, falling silent as she caught sight of movement from the corner of her eye.

A dozen ragged-looking men stood up from their table and headed her way. While it could be nothing, something about them set off her inner alarm, her skin tingling with tense anticipation. They seemed too purposeful in their movements, carrying with them a sense of oncoming dread.

As her father began to turn in his seat to see what had caught her attention, the leader of the group reached into his coat and drew a pistol. Ria's spectre training kicked in as the gun homed on her father's back. Already facing the man's direction, Ria reacted first, leaping out of her chair.

"Dad, get down!" Ria shouted. Darting forward, she threw her full weight into her father, shoving him aside.

The gun fired with a deafening bang, Ria crying out as her world erupted into a haze of obliterating agony.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well guys, I'm finally back with a new story. I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long, as I needed some time to relax and plan before jumping into this one.

The next chapter should be out in a week, with the rest returning to my every-other week schedule from before. I will be trying to see if I can get chapters out quicker than that if I can, but I can't make any promises. Anyhow, that's all I have to say for now. Cheers everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: A Knife in the Storm

_8/27/2211_

Ria cried out as searing hot agony erupted from her shoulder. Her vision blurred as she fell to one side, the pain threatening to blot out all other sensation.

Through the crimson haze Ria caught a blur of motion. An omni-blade lit up like a flare as her father whirled on the attacker. In a single fluid motion the blade fell: the would-be-assassin's head tumbling to the floor a moment before his body.

All at once the bar erupted into chaos. Shouts drowned out the music as bar's handful of patrons bolted for the door.

The five other men drew sub-machine guns or heavy pistols and moved to flank the Spectre facing them.

Only once before had Ria seen her father fight first hand, and that had been against a trained Cerberus agent with cybernetics much like his own. The sight of the unbridled fury he unleashed now was almost frightening to behold.

Her father darted to one side, the closest man unloading his clip into the space the Spectre had occupied an instant before. In a blinding arc Shepard's omni-blade removed assassin's hand and weapon. He barely had time to scream before Shepard leapt upon him, blood splattering the floor as two lighting-quick attacks carved an 'X' through the man's torso.

Turning, her father ducked under a slash aimed by a knife-wielding turian. Throwing his left shoulder into the attacker, Shepard sent him stumbling. Drawing a pistol from within his coat, her father gunned down a man flanking from the left before putting a round between the staggering turian's eyes.

Kicking the turian's body away, her father faced last two men. A round caught one dead center of the chest while another shot pierced the other's leg. His gun clicked empty an instant later, the sound accompanied by two solid thuds of his foes hitting the floor.

The doors of the bar burst open, Ria turning just in time to see two figures stepping inside. Unlike the other men who'd attacked them, these were clad in pitch black armor and held readied assault rifles.

"Dad, catch!" Ria shouted, tossing her vindicator to her father.

Snatching the weapon out of mid air, Shepard rolled to one side, avoiding the hail of gunfire from the two assassins. Coming out of the roll, he unloaded burst after burst into the closer of the two enemies. His target dropped with a warped cry; disruptor rounds tearing through shields and armor alike as if they were made of tissue paper.

The last assailant charged, throwing himself at the Spectre before Shepard could get his weapon to bear. The impact knocked the vindicator from his grasp, the weapon clattering against the floor as the two men struggled. The sheer ferocity of her father's foe startled Ria, the human clawing like a rabid animal as the Spectre struggled to throw him off.

Transfixed as she was, Ria almost missed the sudden movement as one the men she'd thought dead moved. He seized hold of the edge of a nearby table, hoisting himself up onto his one good leg and aimed his gun at Shepard's back..

Without thinking Ria drew her pistol and and fired. An echoing bang moments filled the room, followed by a wet crunch as the would be assailant fell face first onto the floor, this time to never rise again.

Ria winced an instant later as a wet snap sounded, turning her head just in time to see her father let his foe's limp form drop to the ground: the man's head lolling on a boneless neck.

Picking up the vindicator, Shepard's eyes fell on her. "Ria, are you alright?" Her father asked, practically sprinting over to her.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Ria answered, struggling to rise from the floor. Before she could a hand pressed against her good shoulder, forcing her back down.

"Hold still, we need to stop the bleeding," her father started to say, digging out a med kit from a coat pocket.

"It can wait." Ria said, cutting him off. "There's bound to be more of them, we need to get out of here first."

Nodding, her father flipped the vindicator around, handing it back to her. Turning, he retrieved his own weapon.

Collapsing the rifle, Ria stowed it onto the back of her armor. Picking up her phalanx, she managed to will her left arm to obey her commands long enough for her to clumsily load a fresh clip.

Her father hooked an arm around her to support her weight as he carefully hoisted her up to her feet. Leaning against him, Ria spared a look around the bar for the first time since the fighting had begun. She was revealed to see that all of the bar's patrons had fled successfully fled.

_Good, no one was hurt._

"We need to make for the Invisible, I can lead the way." Ria instructed, readying her pistol.

"No yet, I need my armor and weapons first. They're at a Spectre cache, about half a mile away," her father said, mirroring her action with the paladin grasped in his left hand. "Ready?"

"Ready." Ria nodded. They hurried into the drenching gloom beyond the bar's doors.

"That was a stupid risk, taking that shot for me," he said after some time. "Besides, stupid self-sacrifice is my job, not yours," he added with a forced laugh, one that failed to hide the naked concern in his voice.

"I'm wearing armor, I had a better chance of surviving it," Ria countered.

"Just because I came incognito, doesn't mean I didn't consider things could go south," he replied, tugged the collar of his coat down just enough for Ria to see the light armored vest underneath. "Give me some credit."

"Well, my armor's heavier than that padding," Ria countered, wincing as each step sent a jolt of fresh pain through her arm and back.

"Ria . . .." her father said, his tone serious.

"There's no point arguing about it, I can't change what I did now." Ria frowned.

For a moment it looked like her father was going to continue arguing, but then he nodded slowly in acceptance of her point. They continued on in silence for several more minutes before they arrived at an entrance to an unassuming building. Stepping up the the doorway, her father pressed a hand against the scanner to one side. There was a soft _beep_ followed by a _click_.

Pushing the door open, Ria entered the small, featureless room. Boxes containing rations, medical supplies and ammunition sat on shelves or stacked in piles on the floor.

Carefully her father lowered her onto a crate, Ria wincing as she settled her weight on it.

"On a scale from one to ten, how much does it hurt?" Shepard asked, taking a med-kit from a shelf before stooping down next to her.

"Purple," Ria replied dryly.

"Yeah, that's real helpful," he muttered, sounding so very much like he had whenever she'd misbehaved as a child. After examining the wound, he dug out a medi-gel injector from a med-kit "The shot might've hit a bone, can't be sure till I have a chance to examine it more closely. Hold still a moment while I-"

Ria snatched the syringe from his hands, her father flinching at the sudden movement. "I can take care of myself, Dad. I don't need you babying me," Ria said impatiently, stabbing the needle into a small port in her suit.

Her father nodded in apology, taking a step back to give her some space. Seeing the hurt in her father's eyes, Ria regretted the harshness of her tone. Of course he'd be worried about her, and she bit his head off for just for wanting to help.

Averting her gaze, Ria unbuckled her armor's ruined left shoulder pad, letting it drop to the ground. Blood still oozed from the hole in the armor's underlayer, accompanying the throbs of pain that now dulled with each beat as the medi-gel's effects slowly set in. Digging through her own med-kit, she squeezed two small globs of condensed medi-gel onto her finger tips, wincing as she smeared the salve into the open wound. Finishing she filled the gap in her armor with omni-gel, hardening it into a tight seal with a wave of her omni-tool.

"You good?" her father asked when she finished, extending a hand to her,

"Yeah." Ria answered, her voice already feeling less hoarse than it had been. Taking his hand, she was hoisted up to her feet. She wavered for a moment before she managed to steady herself, shaking her head to clear sudden bout of lightheadedness.

Her father shouldered duffel bag laying off in one corner; its contents rattling as it settled into place. "Docks are about a mile away. If we hurry we can reach it before anymore trouble."

"You sound optimistic." Ria noted, readying her rifle.

"One day I'll have to be right," he replied with a grim smile, bringing his paladin up as he stepped to one side of the door.

Stepping to the other side, Ria gave a wordless nod before they stepping back out into the mists.

Flashes of lightning illuminated the path before them as they wound their way through Nos Astra's twisting streets. Other than the faint light of skycars darting far above their heads, no sign of life could be seen.

A barely perceptible splash was the only warning as a dark figured materialized out of the darkness, lunging at them with almost supernatural speed. A blade rung as it cleared its sheath, a foot and a half long steel shard appearing in the man's hands. Its edge burned white hot, hissing in the cool rain.

In a blur of motion her father sidestepped the attack, his omni-blade burning like an ember as it formed around his wrist. Locking blades, the Spectre managed to throw his opponent back, the attacker stumbling as his footing slipped on the slick ground. However, before her father could press his advantage, he was forced to whirl to face yet another assassin who'd appeared to join the first.

Ria wasn't able to catch what happened next as a third figure materialized from the mists, his naked blade bearing down on her. Darting out of reach, Ria opened fire: rounds deflecting harmlessly off her foe's kinetic barriers. In the brief flashes produced by her weapon, Ria caught a glimpse of strange, midnight blue armor; its edges clinging to the darkness around it as if shaped from solid shadow. A helmet hid the assassin's face, its shape seeming almost skeletal with sunken eyes hopes and deep groved on both side that gave the appearance of a gaunt face.

The next attack fell an instant later, Ria barely managing to avoid being cloven in two. While she moved quickly enough to avoid serious harm, the blade's tip drew a stinging line across the back of her hand. Hissing in pain, Ria slung her rife across her back and activated her omni-blade. Falling into a defensive stance, she barely had time to parry the avalanche of incoming blows.

While the speed of her foes attacks wasn't at the same level of most cybernetically augmented fighters; Ria was left without a shadow of a doubt that her opponent's abilities were not wholly natural. Each blow was far too quick and precise, but yet seemed to lack the elegance of a truly experienced combatant. It was as if she was facing an average fighter granted capabilities beyond what he'd earned on his own

With sudden inspiration, Ria realized she could use that to her advantage. Falling back as the attacker pressed his assault, Ria let him believe he had her on ropes. With another step Ria backed herself against a wall. The assassin lunged, blade darting in for what seemed like the finishing blow.

Ria smirked. In his confidence, her opponent overextend himself, leaving him unprepared when Ria stepped out to the left while knocking his sword to her right. The blade stuck the wall, carving a deep gouge into the solid stonework. Spinning in a full arc, Ria drew her combat knife in her left hand, burying it into the assassin's forearm

His blade falling from his slackening grip, the assassin could do little more than yell in pain as Ria drove her omni-blade through his chest. The man fell lifelessly a moment later, red blood spilling onto the street to mix with the churning rain.

Turning back in her father's direction, Ria saw that he was sorely pressed. Even with his enhanced speed, he was barely keeping up with the two attacking foes. Drawing her rifle, Ria took careful aim; catching one of the assassins in the shoulder. While the attack did little harm, it did managed to catch the man off guard for split second.

This was all the opening Shepard needed, the Ria's father turning his back to flinching man as he dodged an attack launched by the other. Grabbing the assassin's wrist, he guided the attack forward; impaling the recovering assassin on his comrade's blade. Letting go, he drove his knee into his final foe's gut, the man doubling over in pain moments before the spectre's omni-blade ended his life.

"Thanks." Shepard nodded to Ria, deactivating his omni-blade.

"It was nothing." Ria panted, suddenly finding herself out of breath. "Come on, there might . . . might be more of them."

Without another word they started down the deserted streets, leaving the carnage far behind them.

After a several minutes the docks came into sight, the duo redoubled their pace, practically sprinting now. As they ran, Ria opened her comms, accessing her ship's encrypted channels. "Core, come in. This is Ria. You there?"

"_Affirmative,"_ replied the synthesized voice of the geth. "_What is your status?"_

"There's been a bit of trouble, but we're on route to the docks now. I'll need you to disengage lock down once we arrive."

"_Understood, we take it you successfully made contact with the other Spectre?"_

"I did, and you couldn't guess who it is."

"_Judging by your reaction, we can summarize that it is someone you know. With this narrowing down the range of possibilities; our best guess would be that your father is the Spectre in question." _Core replied in what could only be described as a self-satisfied tone.

"Rhetorical question, Core. Rhetorical!" Ria sighed. "Just get ready, we'll be there soon."

Closing her comms, Ria saw the docks ahead illuminated in a flash of lighting, the tangled scaffolding casting jagged lines against briefly back lit sky.

For what felt like an eternity they climbed, until at last they came out onto a wide landing pad near the very top of the docks. Though the veil of rain Ria could barely make out the sleek, black form of the Invisible; appearing as a shadow amongst the mists.

"Core, we're here."

No sooner had she finished speaking, Ria heard a faint grinding noise as a sliver of gold appeared in the darkness as the Invisible's cargo doors opened before them; its warmth and light promising refuge from the dark danger outside.

Without pausing Ria acceded to ramp, her father following a step behind, and passed into the ship's cargo hold.

For a moment the bright lights stung Ria's eyes, so sharp was the contrast to the dark overcast outside. Blinking, her vision resolved in time to see the unmistakable forms of Tarran Vakarian and Laura Alenko approaching from the other side of the bay. Both were fully armored and carried weapon; seeming to Ria as though they'd expected for her to return with an entire army at her back.

"Ria. 'Uncle' Shepard," Tarran greeted, turning to each of them in turn. "Core just told us you'd arrived."

"Tarran, Laura. Good to see you both," her father answered.

"I take it things didn't go as planned," Laura said, noting the splotches of blood staining Ria's suit.

"If you count getting attacked by members of that same group as before, then yes, you could say that." Ria frowned, brushing past without waiting for an response. "Talena, how soon can we be in the air?"

"_About ten, maybe twenty minutes. I began preflight checks as soon as Core said you were on your way. Just need to finish those and get clearance, then we'll be on our way," _the ship's pilot replied over the comms.

"Good. Ask Core for the coordinates of our next destination. He'll know the ones I'm talking about."

"_Gotcha, Talena out."_

"Tarran," Ria said, looking back over her shoulder as both her friends and her father followed after her. "I need you to go run inventory on our weapons, and make sure we're stocked up on thermals."

"On it," the turian nodded, quickening his pace to sprint on ahead.

"Laura, I need you to run a diagnostic on our weapon's systems and bring them online," Ria continued, turning to the marine.

"We expecting trouble?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"No, but considering the day I've had, I'd rather we erred on the side of excessive paranoia." Ria shook her head. Considering what she'd said for a moment, she quickly added, "Probably should wait to bring the weapons up until after we're off world. Don't want to give anyone the wrong impression."

"Consider it done," Laura replied, breaking off towards the elevator.

Veering off to the side, Ria made her way through the doorway that led to the ship's engineering bay. Passing by the workstations, she quickly came upon the spot where a hammock had been stretchered between two coolant pipes in one of the corners.

"Kel, quit sleeping on the job. Its time to get to work!" Ria hollered to the blue-clad quarian curled up in the center of the hammock.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Kel said, bolting upright as he frantically tried to extricate himself from his hammock, tumbling out of it to hit the floor with a solid _thump._

"I'm okay." The diminutive quarian called out before Ria could move to help; hastily picking himself up. Flustered, Kel began rambling quickly as he dusted himself."S-sorry about that, I d-didn't know we'd be leaving so soon."

"Don't worry about it, I just need that drive core needs to be running at full capacity by the time we hit the relay. I'd rather not wait until after our next firefight to iron out the kinks introduced by that last software update," Ria instructed. As she continued past, Ria turned so that she still faced. "Besides, we have a guest here: so I'd just prefer it if we gave the impression of being at least somewhat professional."

"Oh, um, r-right," Kel answered, noticing Ria's father for the first time; who simply nodded back with at him with a warm smile. Shepard's presence seemed to have an noticeable effect on the sentinel, his widening in evident awe. "I-I'll just get to work t-then... o-over there." Kel stuttered nervously, practically darting away as he retreated into the back of the engine room.

"He normally like that?" Shepard asked, looking to Ria once Kel had gone.

"Kel is a bit... awkward around people," she answered with a shrug, stepping back out into the hallway outside engineering. "Probably doesn't help when that person he's around is as famous as Commander Shepard."

"Right. That." He sighed, conceding her point.

Stepping into the elevator, Ria pressed the button that would take them up to the crew's deck. With a chime, the elevator opened, Ria leading her father toward the armoury.

"Ria," a low voice called out before she'd taken more than a few steps. Stopping, she turned to see Daron walking towards her. The mercenary glanced Shepard's way as he came to a stop before them, though if he was surprised by Ria's father's presence he didn't show it.

"You should have taken someone with you, going alone wasn't the smartest decision you've made," Daron said bluntly as he turned his attention back to her.

"Yes, because I needed you to play babysitter, right?" Ria countered, turning away from the man to continue towards the armory.

"Because getting killed would have been so much better?" Daron asked, his footsteps joining theirs as he followed after.

"Its funny that you and everyone else decide to act like you're my dad when he's actually here," Ria replied sharply, trying to end the argument as quickly. "I can handle myself perfectly fine."

"Whether you can handle yourself or not had nothing to do with it. Your insistence on trying to get yourself killed is."

"I'm flattered by your concern, but I'm not in the mood right now," Ria said, her tone growing more forceful with each word..

With an annoyed growl Daron's footsteps ceased, the mercenary finally giving up on following her through the Invisible's tight corridors.

Entering the armory, Ria found Tarran already at work inside; the turian pouring over their equipment while keeping a tally on a data pad held in a taloned hand.

"You can keep your equipment here." Ria turned back to her father as she spoke. "Tarran will take care of finding space for everything."

"Gotcha," he said with a smirk, hefting his duffel bag up into both hand and turned in Tarran's direction. "Catch!" He shouted with a laugh, flinging the bag in the turian's direction

Tarran barely managed to catch it in time, its weight forcing him back a step. "Oh joy, yet more work. Slave driver," he muttered, just loud enough to be sure Ria heard.

"Hey, that's high overload slave driver to you. Now get back to work," Ria replied, a smile tugging at her lips as she heading back out of the armory.

"So where to now?" her father asked as he stepped out into the hallway.

"Its probably best if we speak in my quarters before we speak. Less chance of someone listening in. This way" Ria answered, waving in the room's direction.

Leading the way, Ria entered her living quarters. The relatively barren room befit a military vessel; furnished with a bed with two side tables, a wardrobe, and a simple desk pushed against one side of the room. On the desk sat a small holographic emitter displaying an approximation of Rannoch's solar system.

"Huh, reminds me of my old quarters on the first Normandy," her father noted as he began looking around the room. "I'm impressed though, you've managed keep it cleaner than your room back home."

"Hah hah." Ria said dryly, digging through a desk drawer for a bottle of antibiotics. Its contents rattled as she worked at its lid, finally managing to pour two pills onto an open hand. Feeding them through a port at the bottom of her helmet, she forced them down in single gulp. _Bit late now, but hopefully it'll still help lessen the infection_, Ria thought, cursing herself for not having been carrying antibiotics with her..

"Core, disable the room's monitoring equipment. I don't want there to be a recording of anything I say here," Ria instructed. She plopped herself down on the edge of her bed and let out a drawn-out sigh.

"_Are you concerned about us observing your conversation?"_ the geth asked, his hesitant tone broadcasting his dislike for the order.

"No. But I'm worried about someone else managing to. Humor me," Ria replied, wincing as she rubbed her aching shoulder.

"You should be in the medbay getting that checked out," her father frowned as he took his seat in a chair across from her, folding his hands across his lap.

"The medi-gel's done its job; a little lingering pain won't kill me." Ria said, pulling her hand away with another wince. "It's not like you have room to talk, from everything mom's told me."

"No, I suppose I don't." Shepard sighed. He tapped a finger against his leg for several moments, seeming to be lost in thought. "You mentioned to Laura that those men who attacked us were part of some group you've 'faced before'. Do you know who they are?"

"No, I don't," Ria answered wearily, dropping the facade of confidence and control she'd worn for the sake of her crew. "Honestly? I can't even say for sure they even _were_ the same people who tried to kill me before tonight. It could be a coincidence, but that attack was too similar to be unconnected. All I know this is the second time someone's tried to kill me since I got here . . .."

Ria closed her eyes as the darkness all around her seems to be closing in; hands of clawing shadow promising to drag her into oblivion.

"Ria? Are you okay?" her father asked, his voice seeming to be coming from far off. A hand suddenly gripped her shoulder, snapping her back to the present. Ria noticed she was shivering, the room suddenly feeling very cold.

"I'm fine." Ria assured him, hoping that she sounded stronger than she felt. "It's just . . . It's just that at least with Cerberus I knew what I was up against. I had a goal, a clear enemy to face. Now . . . now I feel like I stumbling blindly in the dark . . . helpless."

Ria trailed off, shivering again as the cold around her seemed to intensify. "This whole thing has been a disaster from the beginning. I should have guessed early on . . . all the warning signs were there."

"You'll have to start at the beginning Ria. How did this all begin?" her father asked, speaking softly as he urged her to continue

"Two weeks ago I was contacted by the council for my first real mission: to investigate the activities of ExoGeni's branch here on Ilium," Ria answered, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"All the council told me was that they had contracted ExoGeni to perform some high security research. Over the past few months, Council Intelligence began noticing project members making a number of strange communications and financial transactions."

"They didn't give you any details about what this project was about?" Shepard asked, a raised eyebrow the only indication of his concern."

"I tried to use my Spectre access to find out, but came up empty. Whatever it is, the council's keeping it hushed up; even from the Spectres," Ria answered with a shake of her head. "I should have know then, but stupidly I let the matter drop. I figured this would be an just a simple mission. Turns out I couldn't have been further from the truth."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay guys, hope this makes up for last one being a bit short. . . and having a cliffhanger. As for now I plan to be sticking to a chapter every other week, though will put them out earlier whenever I happen to get them done quicker. Anyhow, thats all I needed to say. See you guys in the next one!

EDIT 4/5/2014 Fixed strange correuption of filed when I uploaded it that releted lettered and replaced others with strange characters.


	3. Chapter 3: City of Secrets

_8/12/2211 Fifteen days earlier..._

"_Atmospheric entry complete. Arrival at Nos Astra docks, fifteen-point-seven-three minutes,"_ Core announced. The turbulence that had shaken the ship a moments before dissipated as quickly as it had come.

"Oh no, ahead of schedule for once. Clearly the end times are upon us," Ria gasped, a smirk hidden by her mask.

"_Creator-Shepard, I do not think our ability to arrive at our destination in a shorter timeframe than expected is any indication of—"_

"I know, Core. It was a joke." Ria sighed, cutting the geth off before he finished. "Of all the skills you were programed with, they couldn't bother giving you a sense of humor."

"_It was deemed unnecessary to—"_

"That was rhetorical, Core, rhetorical." Ria sighed again, more bemused than annoyed at the geth's response.

Stepping down from the CIC, Ria spoke quickly. "Tell Laura and Tarran to meet me at the airlock in fifteen minutes. You're acting XO until we get back. No one else is allowed off the ship unless I order otherwise, at least until I figure out if shore leave on this trip is a good idea. Other than that, you know the drill."

Taking the elevator down to the crew deck, Ria entered her quarters to gather her gear. About ten minutes later, Ria finished suiting up. Heading back up to the main deck to meet her team at the airlock, finding Tarran and Laura already there waiting for her.

"Look, the great and powerful Spectre Ria finally arrives," Tarran greeted, smirking as he nudged Laura with an elbow. "Surely, we'd be lost without her wisdom to guide us."

"You through yet?" Ria asked, rolling her eyes in feigned annoyance. As grating as their teasing could get, and though she'd never admit it to them, she'd missed it in the year she'd been away.

"Actually, I have I have a few more I could try if you want," the turian answered, his mandibles spreading in what could only be described as a devilish grin.

"Let's not," Ria replied, stepping into the airlock. "Core, I take it there wasn't any issue getting permission to dock?"

"_Affirmative. We're coming in on final approach now."_

A slight shift in the hum of the ship's engines was the only perceptible change she felt as the ship decelerated as it touched down.

"_We have arrived at our intended destination," _the geth announced a moment later.

"Right, you heard the genderless, multi-program consciousness, time to get going," Ria said, motioning for her teammates to follow into the airlock.

"So, Ria, what can you tell us about the mission?" Laura asked while they waited for the airlock's atmosphere equalization process to complete. "I know we're here to investigate some corporation, but you didn't tell us much when we left the Citadel."

"Honestly, I barely know more than you." Ria shrugged. "ExoGeni's Illium branch has been working with the council on some top-secret contract, very hush-hush. The council tends to engage in this kind of thing only when it comes to military tech. Apparently council intelligence picked up some strange transactions and messages related to Project Winter."

"I'd wager good money that the whole thing isn't exactly aboveboard," Tarran remarked with a frown. "You know anything about what they're working on?"

"I tried to find out, but if the council kept records on this project, they require clearance above a Spectre's," Ria answered.

"And you're not at all curious?" Laura asked, arching an eyebrow.

"_Keelah,_ of course I'm curious, but I'm not exactly in the best position to go against the council right now," Ria said. She didn't need to explain to them why. They knew as well as she did the particular terms of her Spectre candidacy. "As far as I'm concerned, not pissing off the council is the general game plan for this mission."

"Unless we have to?" Tarran asked with a knowing grin.

"Unless we have to." Ria smirked. A chime sounded as the atmospheric equalization process completed, the airlock doors opening into the docking tube.

"Besides, it might not even be necessary for us to have to make that call on this one. Right now we're just meeting with the regional CEO, on the council's orders," Ria continued, stepping out onto the corridor leading to the docking platform. "Exogeni didn't answer when the council enquired, so we're here to make sure the company cooperates."

"They probably figured sending a Spectre in person would scare just about anyone into compliance," Tarran noted.

"No doubt. Still, if everything goes as planned, we could be done with this by the end of the day. If they don't, well, a simple infiltration mission shouldn't take too long." She shrugged again. While she knew the mission was serious, a Spectre wouldn't have been sent otherwise, the mission looked routine enough that she wasn't exactly worried.

Reaching the end of the docking tube, the trio stepped out into Nos Astra's docks. Unlike platforms reserved for commercial spacecraft, the sections reserved for private vessels were open aired.

The sight beyond the spaceport took Ria's breath away, the Nos Astra skyline glowing in the twilight of early morning. Golden lights shown from the windows of skyscrapers, mixing with the orange rays cast by the sun's edge as it peeked out over the horizon. Motes of violet blues from distant neon displays melded with the darting white of skycars that ran in streams between the towering spires of the city's heights.

"Quite a view," Tarran commented as he gazed out over the glittering skyline. "Almost makes you forgot that Illium is barely safer than Omega."

"Just means we need to keep our guard up," Ria replied, turning away from the view. "Come on, we better get going."

**. . . . .**

It took them a few minutes to hail a taxi, then another half an hour of travel before they arrived at the ExoGeni building. The headquarters of the corporation's Illium branch was a spire of gray and black, its windows shimming like sapphires even in the morning's warm light.

Stepping out of the taxi, Ria found her gaze drawn upward at the but cold monolith. An icy shiver rolled through her despite her suit's climate-controlled warmth. Her eyes lingered for a moment longer before she tore them away, shaking her head to clear her daze

Ria began ascending the steps leading up to the building's entrance, Tarran and Laura following silently behind. The city slumbered in the ethereal twilight, only the skycars passing overhead showing signs of life.

As she reached the last few steps, Ria caught a blur of movement in the corner of her eye. She spun around, narrowed eyes searching the shadows where she'd sworn a dark shape had darted between neighboring buildings. Nothing moved.

"What is it?" Laura asked, her eyes following Ria's gaze.

"It's nothing, thought I saw something," Ria answered. _Come on Ria, stop over reacting_, she scolded herself.

Brushing aside her discomfort, she continued to the building's entrance. The automatic doors slid away at her presence, seeming to usher her inside.

Ria found herself in a lavishly furnished reception room. The chamber was two stories, with an open balcony running along the far wall. To either side a waterfall plunged into shallow pools ringed with ferns, filling the space with a soothing hiss. Chairs and couches sat in clusters around obsidian coffee tables, their silver color standing in sharp contrast to the black tiled floors.

No sign of life could be seen, even the reception desk sitting in the left corner appearing deserted.

"Of course they have a waterfall. Why wouldn't they?" Tarran said, his tone dry. He stopped next to Ria.

"Hey, don't let them hear you say that, Tarran. They have _two_ waterfalls," Laura replied, a bemused smile emphasized by her sarcasm."Everyone knows that a CEO's worth is measured by how many waterfalls they have in their office. Are you trying to get us kicked out?"

"She's right, Tarran, be careful what you say next time." Ria laughed, her voice echoing slightly in the empty space.

Crossing the room, the trio passed through the doors at the far end, coming into a security checkpoint that stood before the rest of the building.

As soon as they entered, two security guards in gray and green armor stepped forward to bar their way, their hands dropping down to holstered pistols. A rhythmic _clanking_ filled the air, four Loki mechs shambled forward, breaking off into two pairs to stand at the guards' flanks.

"Stop right there! Weapons aren't allowed inside. State your business," one guard demanded. His fingers twitched as they hovered an inch from his holstered gun, as if he half expected the three heavily armed guests to attack at any moment.

"I'm Spectre Ria'Shepard, here on council business to speak with Administrator Wethern," Ria answered, activating her omni-tool to transfer the necessary clearance files. "As for our guns, I think you'll find Spectres are exempt from such rules."

"It seems to check out," the other security officer said, glancing through the files on his omni-tool.

"Only applies for you. Unless your friends are Spectres as well, we'll need to confiscate their weapons." The first guard ignored his companion, opting to glare at Ria instead, as if daring her to refuse.

"Either you let them keep them, or you let none of us in: it's your choice," Ria said, dropping her voice into what she hoped was a threatening tone. "I'd hate to find out what your superiors would do if they found you refused a Spectre entry."

The guard said nothing for several moments, swallowing as he met Ria's gaze. "You can pass," he yielded, his omni-tool flashing as he opened the security checkpoint blocking the way forward. "I'll inform Mr Wethern of your arrival. Follow the hall up ahead, and take the elevator up to the One-hundred-sixty-first floor."

Nodding in thanks, Ria stepping through the checkpoint. Through the corner of her eye she saw that the guard's gaze lingered on her as she walked past, a mask of suspicion worn openly on his face.

"You know we could have just left our weapons back there, right?" Laura asked once they were out of earshot. "It's not like we're expecting a fight."

"Oh, I know," Ria said, flashing her friend a smirk.

"… let me guess, you just wanted a chance to throw your Spectre status around." Laura gave a low chuckle.

"Why not? Now that I actually have some authority for a change, why shouldn't I use it?" Ria replied defensively. "Besides, that guard was trying to give us trouble."

"Uh-huh." Laura returned Ria's gaze with a flat stare. "Whatever you say, fearless leader."

"Hey, your 'fearless leader' doesn't take kindly to insubordination. Keep this up and I'll have to give you bathroom-cleaning duty," Ria countered, rolling her eyes.

"Slave driver."

Stepping out of the elevator, they entered a large room made up the vast majority of the One-hundred-sixty-first floor. Wide windows all around gave an unobstructed view of Nos Astra's skyline. Rows of wooden desks flanked either side of the straight path that led to a set of double doors opposite the elevator. At least three dozen people occupied the space, working silently at their stations.

An eerie silence struck Ria like a solid wall. Not a soul spoke, allowing every little _creak_ of a chair or synthesized _click_ of a holographic keypad to sound preternaturally loud. Stepping forward, Ria grew more unnerved with each step as one by one faces turned to regard her; suspicion lurking in sunken, haunted eyes. Looking back, Ria saw her friends tense up as they watched the workers.

Finally reaching the set of wooden doors, Ria stepped forward and knocked, her nerves screaming for her to get out of the room as fast as possible.

"Come in," a voice called back from inside.

Pulling the door open, Ria entered into a lavishly furnished office, even by the rest of the building's standards. Oil paintings hung in silver frames on every wall, their colorful abstract designs illuminated by dim spotlights.

Behind a large obsidian desk a middle-aged man was seated in a large, high-backed chair. His black hair and neatly trimmed beard were streaked with lines of gray that stood in contrast to his dark tan skin.

On closer inspection, Ria noticed that the suit was slightly disheveled, as if he'd been wearing it for several days without changing. Dark rings from lack of sleep hung under the man's eyes, their edges red with bloodshot veins.

The man stood from his chair, extending a hand in greeting. "I'm Administrator Wethern, regional CEO of ExoGeni's Illium branch," he said warmly, a smile spreading across his lips. As energetic as the greeting was, it did nothing to hide a sense of anxious fear that hung over the executive.

Ria took his hand, shaking, "Spectre Ria'Shepard."

"It's a pleasure. Now please, take a seat. Your friends too. Might as well get comfortable while we talk," Wethern said, withdrawing his hand. As the executive returned to his seat, Ria noticed him nervously glancing over his shoulder.

Hesitating a moment, Ria took a seat in one of the immaculate, olive green chairs before the desk, Tarran and Laura taking seats to either side.

"Can I offer you anything to drink? I can have something sent up," Wethern offered once they were all settled. A single finger tapped out a frantic rhythm against the desk's surface as he spoke, his eyes flicking rapidly between Ria and her friends

"No, thank you." Ria locked her fingers together over her lap. For a moment she sat silently, examining every detail of the executive's face. He was scared, that was plain to see, but was it the council that he was afraid of? Or something else? "I take it you know why I'm here?"

"Yes, that dreadful business with the council," Wethern answered, speaking quickly. "I wanted to respond to their questions, I really did. I couldn't risk it, not when _they_ could be listening in."

"Listening in?" Ria asked, arching an eyebrow behind her mask. "Has something happened?"

"Someone's been targeting my company," the executive answered. "Not just me, but my people too. I don't know who and can only guess why …."

"Is that why your employees were acting so strangely?" Laura asked, cutting in before Ria could respond. "We noticed they were acting a bit odd on our way in."

"They're afraid, just like I am. Afraid they will be next," Wethern answered, a finger tapping a frantic beat against his desk as he spoke.

"If there's more to this than an information leak, I need answers," Ria said, cutting straight to the point. "You said someone's been targeting your company. Tell me everything."

Wethern's hand ceased its tapping, the room falling utterly silent. Slowly, he nodded. "I'd better start at the beginning then."

Ria leaned back in her chair, her attention fully on the executive as he began his story.

"It all started about two months ago, when one of my employees in data management noticed a string of strange data leaks coming from our encrypted server. At the time, I thought nothing of it: espionage isn't exactly uncommon on Illium." He paused, once again glancing over his shoulder.

"So I instructed him to close the leaks, which worked for a few days. Then they started again, right around the same time financial picked up an unauthorized transfer of credits to an external account," he continued, his fingers resuming their rapid beat against the table. "It wasn't much, only a couple hundred thousand credits were taken. But when we tried to trace it, the account in question simply didn't seem to exist. The transfers increased frequency as the weeks went by."

Wethern stood, turning to gaze out over the city. He leaned wearily against the glass and looked back at them. "I tried my best to have my people look into it, but it didn't do any good. We knew how important it was that our work on the …. Well, on the project, didn't become common knowledge. Or what the council would do if they found out."

"What were you working on that was so important that no one else finds out?" Ria asked.

The executive paled at her question, eyes flicking around the room nervously. "I-I'm sorry, I can't answer that. The council made it clear: only those with their direct authorization may be read in."

Ria almost started to try to claim the council _had_ authorized her be told about it, a voice in the back of her head warned that this would be a monumentally stupid idea. Even if she could convince the executive of the lie, disobeying direct orders from the council would have consequences. Sighing inwardly, Ria relented to the aggravating voice of caution and reason, dipping her head in a nod, accepting the executive's answer.

"You have to believe me, we didn't intend any of this to happen. I'd hoped to deal with the problem before it got out of hand, rather than risk the contract," the man continued from where he'd left off. "Then people started dying."

The man grimaced, open fear in his eyes. "The first was Parker, the data management admin who first noticed to leaks. He was found dead in his home after not arriving for work two days in a row, his throat slit. Within the next few days both Mason and Barnand, two of my employees working in financial who'd been assigned to trace the transaction, turned up dead in the streets, shot."

"Did the police find anything?" Tarran asked, speaking up for the first time. "Didn't they investigate any of this?"

"Yes, but they said that there was nothing connecting the murders other than that all three were employed here. Said it was coincidence, given the city's crime rate," he answered. "It didn't stop there, four more of my people have turned up dead since then, and three others simply vanished."

"How long ago was that?" Ria asked.

"The last death was only two days ago," Wethern answered, shaking his head sadly. "I have heard from others that they have begun to notice people watching them. I have as well, and last night I think I spotted someone trailing me. I don't know anything else, nor what I could still do."

Ria sat in silence weighing everything the man had said. Several moments crawled by before she asked, "Do you have any idea who could be responsible?"

"No. My only guess would be an competitor, but I think that unlikely. I fear it could be a terrorist cell or some other outside power; who are only targeting me because of ExoGeni's joint project with the council."

_I hope he's wrong. I've already had enough experience dealing with one crazy terrorist group for a lifetime._ Ria frowned behind her mask. "If this has gotten as bad as you said, why didn't you go to the council? While I don't know the details of what you're working on, it's important enough for me to be sent. Another Spectre might have been sent sooner."

"I must admit, the decision was one of pride at first," the executive admitted "I believed my people could handle the matter, before the first deaths, at least. After that I was too afraid that if I begged the council for aid, and _they_ found out, that I might not live long enough to see the aid arrive."

"If that's right, then how is Ria being here now any different?" Laura cut in, eyes narrowing as she regarded the man sitting across the desk. "Now that a Spectre is here, what's stopping whoever's behind this from moving against you directly?"

"The only difference now is that I hope the pretense of Spectre might deter _them_. The whole galaxy knows to respect and fear the Spectres. No one can overlook that," Wethern answered, meeting the soldier's eyes as he spoke. "I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone was sent, either way. I gambled that if the council sent someone on their own volition _they _wouldn't know until it was too late."

Turning her head, Ria saw Laura cross her arms as she leaned back in her chair, not breaking from her steady gaze upon him.

For her part, Ria was focused on Wethern, trying her best to get a read on him. He looked back at her with fearful eyes, almost pleading for her to believe his story. Try as she might, she couldn't find anything that would indicate his fear was anything but genuine. The tension in his movement, the paranoid glances, the dread in the depths of his eyes; it all seemed so very real.

Slowly Ria nodded, making up her mind. "I'll report back to the council on what you've said, after which I can begin searching for whoever is behind the attacks against ExoGeni."

Wethern's eyes lit up at this, a relieved smile spilling over his face. "Thank you. If you can do this … thank you."

"I'll need access to your financial records and encrypted data if I'm going to be trying to trace the leaks back to their source," Ria said, rising from her chair.

"Yes, that is understandable. I will give you access," the executive said hesitantly, glancing between Ria and her team as he spoke.

"I'll also need you to keep in contact. Inform me of anything else that happens," Ria said, extending a hand across the ExoGeni CEO's desk.

"I understand. Again, thank you, thank you," Wethern said, his voice cracking as he extended a hand. As she took it, it seemed to Ria like a great weight had lifted from the man's shoulders, his posture less slumped and face less lined with worry than it had been.

After they'd exchanged a few more polite words, Wethern reassuring her that we would provide every bit information that he or his people knew, Ria took her leave. With her team in tow, Ria quickly made her way out of the building. No one spoke until they were outside, her friends appearing to be as lost in thought as she was pondering all that had been said.

"So, what do you think about all that?" Tarran asked descended the stairs towards the street.

"I'm not sure yet …" Ria said, trailing off as her words became lost in her jumbled thoughts. Coming to a stop at the bottom step, she turned to face her friends. The midday sun was now fully in the sky, reflecting a white gleam on the smooth glass of the building behind. Sighing, Ria continued. "I guess we look into ExoGeni's competitors, figure out if they are involved, I wouldn't put it past any of them. If that doesn't pan out, then look into those deaths, see if the police have any records that can tell us more."

"You think Wethern was telling the truth?" Laura asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Don't know," Ria replied, chewing on her lower lip. "I don't think Wethern was lying. You saw the way he acted. He was afraid."

"I picked up on that too," Tarran agreed, glowering. "It's not impossible to fake fear like that, but it's hard to. Doesn't mean he isn't lying, just less likely."

Frowning, Laura slowly nodded, accepting that explanation. "I'm probably just being paranoid, but something feels a bit … off, about what he told us. Can't for the life of me put my finger on what though …. Still, I'll follow your lead on this one, as always."

Dipping her chin in thanks,Ria turned away to gaze over the sunlit city before them. The day's warmth gave way to a sudden chill that cut Ria to the very bone. Looking up, it seemed to her that the sun's light had become a cold gleam, far removed from the world.

Ria shivered as a sudden gust of wind rushed from the east. Turning, she saw dark storm clouds forming on the horizon that had only hours before been awash with golden light. In distance could be heard the distant peals of thunder heralding an oncoming storm.

_So much for a simple mission._

* * *

**Author's Node: **Well, this chapter took far too long to write. I had to make so many changes on this one, with the original draft being "exposition dump, the chapter". After much work and toil from my beta readers and some other author's I know down on Aria's Afterlife, I eventually got this into a less tedious form. So yeah, shout out goes to them :D

Anyhow, next chapter will probably be out in two weeks, though the next two will be one week apart from one another (since I am splitting what was originally going to be one really long chapter into two smaller ones.)

Anyhow, enough rambling here. As always, please leave a review, since I would greatly appreciate any comments, criticism, and suggestions you may have. Only way I can improve as a writer is with your feedback after all, and its nice to see people enjoying the story besides.


	4. Chapter 4: Chase

_8/24/2211, Three days before present._

Ria shifted in her seat, trying in vain to sit comfortably. Her muscles ached with pent up tension, drawn out like a bowstring about to snap. It felt as though every nerve was on fire, laid bare by her constant companions, frustration and paranoia.

Grinding her teeth, Ria forced her gaze out to the buildings blurring past the taxi's windows. Night had fallen, plunging the city into a brilliant, ethereal world of neon light.

"Ria, you need to relax. Getting frustrated isn't going to help any," Tarran replied. His eyes regarded her over the back of his seat, concern piercing her from their deep blue depths

"How can I help it? For almost two weeks we've scoured this hell hole, and for what?" she snapped. Her muscles burning with redoubled tension, frustration spilling over. "The only progress we made was tracing the transactions to Synthetic Insights just to find the same fraudulent transfers, dataleaks and murders going on there!"

Ria realized she'd leaned forward more with each word and thumped back into her seat. Defeat and shame hung heavy around her neck. She was a Spectre, supposed to be one of the galaxy's best operatives

With the lead to Synthetic Insights turning up dry, they'd turned their attention to investigating the murdered ExoGeni employees. That by all rights should have yielded something, least of all more than the completed lack of evidence that faced the.

"I still can't believe so many people murdered and leave no evidence," Laura grumbled, as if reading Ria's thoughts

"Yeah," Tarran agreed. "You'd think with there being witnesses for five of the murders, something would turn up. Security footage, something really."

Ria opened her mouth to reply, her every instinct screaming for her to shout at them for telling her things she already damn well knew. Before she could, understanding dawned on her. Of course they knew she didn't need to be told any of this, they were just trying to puzzle over the information they had father gathered. _They're probably trying to get me to focus on what progress had been made, no matter how small, instead of dwelling on what how much we don't know._

"To be fair they did give us something at least. Descriptions of black garbed assassins, with helmets shaped like skulls. Materializing out of the shadows to cut down their victim before vanishing without a trace." Ria shook her head.

"Not to mention the two occasion were these assassins were caught. Sure, they committed suicide before they could be questioned, but least now we know they are insane fanatics," Laura said.

"_Are_there sane ones?" Tarran asked, smirking. "Anyways, don't forgot all the new questions that raised. The background checks identified both as minor criminals. Neither of them should have been hired for assassination. Not to mention that common thugs aren't loyal enough to commit suicide instead of selling out their employer."

"Neither does it explain the reports of both men showing skill beyond what they ought to have," Ria added. She sighed, cradling her throbbing head in her hands. "I just hope this ExoGeni employee was telling the truth when he contacted us. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take," she said out loud, voicing her own concerns.

"Honestly, Ria? I hope we find something too. I know the stress has been hitting you harder than the rest of us, but we want to see the end of this as much as you do," Tarran replied, his mandibles spreading in a reassuring grin.

Reaching their destination, the taxi's doors slid aside with a mechanical _clank. _Stepping out onto the empty walkway, Ria faced the apartment building where her Exogeni contact, Paulsen, asked her to meet. The complex was moderately upscale, typical of the city's upper-middle class; with wide windows and a clear view of the city around.

"So, are we _sure _this isn't going to be a trap?" Laura asked as she and Tarran exited the taxi a moment later. "You haven't made it clear yet, and I'm really getting sick of those."

"Oh come on Alenko, what are you, chicken?" Tarran teased, sounding surprisingly upbeat.

"Tarran, do you even know what a chicken is?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you _did_get the saying right.

"Umm, its a bird on earth that humans eat, right? All I know for sure is that everything apparently tastes like it." Tarran shrugged.

"Congratulations, you've officially earned your honorary human status. We'll be sure to mail you the certificate soon," Laura said.

"Great, just six more to go and, I have the whole set for every council species," Tarran noted. The corner of Ria's mouth quirked at the dryness of his tone.

"All right, enough you two," Ria said. She headed for the building's main door. Tarran and Laura fell in behind still whispering quiet snipes back and forth.

Reaching the front doors, Ria reached out to activate the door, catching the reflection of a dark figure in the glass. She spun, opening her mouth to shout, to warn to her friends … but the shadowy silhouette had vanished.

"Ria?" Tarran asked, the turian's concerned tone snapped her back to reality.

Taking a couple of steps toward the spot, she stared into the darkness, seeing nothing, Ria released her pent up breath.

"Yeah? Sorry I saw… its not important, just imagining things," Ria answered, careful to keep her voice calm. It could have just been her imagination, but after everything that's happened she was convinced now that someone was following them.

_Either way, we don't have time to check it out now. Less so, if there really was someone here. They may try to silence our contact before he can speak to us_.

Taking an elevator up to the twenty second floor, it took only a moment for Ria to find the room mentioned in the extranet message the ExoGeni employee had sent her. Stepping up to the door, Ria knocked on the door several times.

A minute passed in silence. Just as she began to think no one was there, Ria heard soft footsteps on the other side. A vid screen flickered to life, on a control panel next to the door, displaying the deathly pale face on the other side.

"Spectre Shepard?" The man asked, his tone nervous.

"Yes. I take it you're Mr. Paulsen?" Ria nodded cautiously, unsure what to expect.

Slowly the door opened, revealing a ragged looking man with a gaunt face and large bags under his eyes. His eyes darted around. He leaned forward, peering down the hallway to either side before beckoning them inside. "Thank god. I wasn't sure you'd come. Quickly, its not safe."

Following the man inside, Ria took a seat on the corner of a couch, Tarran sitting down next to her and Laura on a chair facing the door. Closing and bolting the door shut behind them, Paulsen pulled up a chair across from them, taking a seat.

"Alright, start at the beginning. What do you know that can help us?" Ria asked.

"I work in systems management, and was one of the people Mr Wethern had trying to trace whoever was breaking into our systems," Paulsen began, his voice low. "As far as I know, I'm the only one from the project left alive."

"I've been investigating those deaths. I remember your name coming up in the list of, well, potential targets," Ria said as diplomatically as she could.

"Yes, but you don't understand. That's exactly why I needed to talk to you. Mr Wethern, he... he's been having you follow loose ends, trying to keep you busy."

"What?" Ria asked, the words escaping in a whisper of breath.

"Look, there isn't much time. I know how you were given access to our systems, how you found the connection to Synthetic Insights," the ExoGeni employee continued, speaking quickly. "The thing is, we had already traced it back to them weeks ago and figured out it was just a front."

"So Wethern was hiding something, damn." Tarran's mandibles tightening in the turian equivalent of a frown.

"Why didn't anyone tell us this sooner?" Ria asked. An icy pit forming in her stomach, filling her with an empty void of feeling. _Why had she trusted him_?

"We were afraid … Wethern came to us suddenly a few days before you arrived, order us to stop our investigation and destroy any records of what we'd found so far. Said it was the only way we'd be safe. We knew about all the others, so we listened." Paulsen replied, shuddering. "Then after you spoke to him, he instructed us to keep up appearances, make it seem like we'd found nothing."

_That usl'sa yze tabb, he played me. Played us. I believed every damned word_, Ria cursed inwardly, seething anger flooding through her. Why had she taken everything Wethern had said at face value? She should have taken a closer look into ExoGeni itself.

"T-There's something else you need to know," Paulsen continued, growing more openly terrified with each word. "Yesterday, Wethern ordered me to download everything we had on record for Project Winter onto an OSD and had it sent to him. I think he plans to give it to… to them, the people who're behind all this. It was after this that I contacted you. I couldn't let this keep happening, no matter what … what happens to me."

"What did you have on Project Winter?" Ria snapped, her tone coming out more forceful than she'd intended.

"There wasn't much, honestly. Most of the project is conducted at another site, so we had few detailed records here. Mainly its just records on the location of—"

A red dot fell onto Paulsen's shirt, blinking like a burning ember in the dim light. Eyes snapping wide, Ria started to give a shout of warning, lunging forward to pull the man down into cover.

An crack light distant thunder sounded, followed by the shattering of glass. Paulsen's mouth opened in a silent scream as he fell back, a fountain of crimson gore flowering from his chest. Droplets of blood splattered against Ria's visor, unable to do anything as she watched the ExoGeni employee's limp form strike the floor with a dull _thump_.

Ria whirled around in the direction that shot had come. She caught a glimpse of a silhouette standing on the rooftop opposite of them, a sniper rifle glinting in the full moon's light. A single goal over road every other though: catch the assassin before he can escape.

Ignoring the surprised shouts from Tarran and Laura urging her to wait, she burst out onto the balcony. She saw the assassin making his way across the rooftops parallel to her, bounding between the gaps heedless of the thousand foot drop below.

Scanning the area, Ria saw that only a few feet separated the balcony and its neighbors. With a second's hesitation, she leaped over empty space onto the next platform. Staggering to keep her footing, she righted herself.

Ahead she saw that the balconies came to a sudden end, with no clear handhold visible on the next building. Sliding to a stop, it took less than a second to spy a neon sign about twenty feet down running between buildings.

As she watched, the assassin leaped from a rooftop, coming out into a roll on the building connected to the sign before sprinting away across its surface. It was now or never; if she didn't move now she'd lose him for sure.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Ria leapt out into open space. Her stomach lurched as she reached the apex of her flight, eyes snapping open as she began to fall.

Reaching out, she managed to seize hold of the tangled mess of cables. A crystalline sound accompanied the shattering of neon lights, panels giving way under her weight. Panic seized as she began to fall, sparks flying all around her as her momentum carried her down the sign's side. Frantically she scrambled for a handhold, for something, anything, to halt her descent. At the last second her fingers found a hold, coming to a sudden halt as they caught a small lip at the sign's bottom edge.

Dangling over the rush of skycars darting below her feet, Ria's head swam as a wave a vertigo washed over here. Shaking her head, she grabbed for a dangling cable, wrapping it around her hand as she began clambering up the ruined sign.

Yanking herself up onto the top, Ria hurried across the narrow beam stretching across the busy street. Jumping down onto the rooftop, Ria spotted a dark shape moving for the opposite edge. A sniper rifle glinted in the pale light. She drew her pistol and opened fire. Rounds lit up the night like embers as the assassin dropped over the edge.

_Det kazuat_. At the roof's edge the building flared out at a steep angle. Looking down, she saw the shooter reach the edge of the slope. His momentum carried him over the gap between buildings, landing with a roll on a walkway some fifteen feet below.

Jumping after him, Ria dropped down onto the slope, sliding down its side. _Please make it. Please make it. Please make it._

Picking up speed she was launched into open space, tumbling as she landed on the walkway. Dazed, she scrambled to her feet. Staggering into a run, she chased after the assassin shoving his way through crowds of gawking people.

"Go! Out of my way!" Ria shouted. Her fingers leapt to her holstered pistol, yanking it free. She shot up in the air, three sharp _cracks_ringing out. Screams echoed in the night as the crowds scattered away from her.

Gaining now, Ria saw that her quarry had managed to reach the end of the walkway, making for a docking platform separated by only a couple feet.

Ria threw everything into one final sprint just as the assassin bounded off the edge. She gave a shout as she reached the end, leaping after her quarry.

Ria tackled him in mid air, the impact sending them both slamming onto the platform on the other side. Thrown away from one another in the landing, Ria tumbled across the ground. Her pistol got caught, tearing it from her grasp.

Gasping for air, Ria rolled to her feet.

As quick as her recovery was, her foe acted first, slamming into her. Ria staggered, barely getting her arms up to shield herself before her foe threw himself against her again. He bore down on her as she fell, pressing the advantage gained through his greater strength and stature.

Drawing back, Ria kicked with both legs just as the assassin fell upon her. While quarians lacked much of the physical toughness of humans, their legs were far stronger than the silly straight ones human's balanced themselves on. There was a crunch as a rib cracked, air escaping the black-garbed man's lungs as he was thrown back.

Scrambling to her feet, Ria drew her combat knife, cursing herself for not having brought any other weapons from the ship.

Her opponent drew a knife of his own as he stood, its edge glowing white in the dim light as he squared off against her.

Ria didn't wait for him to make the first move, flipping her knife around and threw it at her foe. The tip buried itself into a gap in the assassin's armor just as he lunged.

Ria dodged, letting the man stumble past. Activating her omni-blade, she countered, only for her foe to parry. Trading blows, Ria found herself on the defensive, unable to overpower her opponent. Once strike grazed her armored forearm, the blaze sizzling as it left a blackened mark. Smoke curled from the plate's deformed surface, knife's intense heat melting the spot it came in contact with. _That shouldn't be possible, something that hot shouldn't still be hard enough survive contact with an omni-blade. _

A glint of metal caught her eye, coming from a spot a few feet away. She rolled, moving under an incoming slash, seizing her pistol from the floor. Whirling she opened fire, the assassin's shields buckling. The next struck the man in the shoulder, Ria lowering her aim on the fifth to hit him in the leg. With a hiss of pain the man fell to the ground, clutching at the blood seeping from his thigh.

Rushing forward, Ria shoved her pistol against his forehead, her words coming out harsh as she demanded, "Talk and I'll consider letting you live. Who do you work for? What are you after?"

The man made no sound other than to hiss in pain through clenched teeth.

"Answer me, what do you—" Ria started to shout again. The assassin suddenly moved, his hand seizing her's and forcing her finger to squeeze her pistol's trigger.

A bang echoed over the rooftop as the assassin went limply, blood pooling out from under him.

Staggering back, Ria fell. Her hand that still clutched her gun shook as she stared a dead body, in shock over what had just occurred. She'd killed many times before, so many times before. She'd grown use to it. But this … witnessing someone take their own life….

Ria shut her eyes, letting her weapon slip from her trembling fingers.

It was then that she became aware of voices shouting over her comms, their frantic tone snapping her back to reality.

"_Ria, come in. What happened, are you alright? Answer."_

"Tarran?" Ria replied, her voice hoarse.

An audible sigh of relief could be heard through the comms a moment before the turian's voice spoke again. "_Glad you're okay. Why weren't you answering? Laura and I have been trying to raise you on your comms since you ran off."_

Ria blinked, surprised by this. "I must have been too focused on catching him, I didn't even register it until now."

"_Dammit Ria, if you're going to do something stupid you could at least give me and Laura a chance to join in. What happened, did he get away?"_

"He's dead," Ria answered. "I managed to injure him, but he killed himself before I could question him."

"_Just like in all of the murders. Dammit,"_Tarran said, finishing the thought for her.

"What happened on your end. Did Paulsen— " Ria asked.

"_No, he was dead before he even hit the ground. Was quick at least, so there are worse ways to go."_

"Small comfort." Ria staggered to her feet, bending down to pick up her pistol.

"_Where are you at? Laura found us a cab, so we can pick you up."_

Ria looked around, searching for anything that would indicate her location. "I'm… not exactly sure. I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going. I can't have gone more than a few blocks. Give me a second, I'll send you my coordinates."

"_Alright. After that, where to?"_

"The Invisible. If what Paulsen said was true, then things are worse than we thought. I need to speak with the Council."


	5. Chapter 5: Confrontation

_8/24/2211, Three days before present._

Ria paced the comms room, her feet practically cutting grooves into the floor. Time crawled by at a snail's pace, a few minutes seeming to stretch out into hours.

Finally the QEC flared to life, holographic emitters blinking rapidly as the shapes of two figures took form. As the images resolved, she saw that only the salarian and asari councilors were present, not an unexpected occurrence. Due to the larger size of the new council established after the war, it was rare for all to be in the same place except during full sessions.

"Councilors," Ria greeted, coming to a stop before the shimmering images.

"Spectre Shepard." The asari representative nodded in kind. Despite having had a year to get use to the idea, it still felt almost surreal Ria to hear herself be referred to as "Spectre Shepard."

"If we can move to the matter at hand, you contacted us saying that you've uncovered something that vastly changes the nature of your mission, correct?" the salarian councilor asked, cutting right to the issue.

"It is," Ria answered. She suddenly felt very small, like she was a child again, about to be scolded for some misbehavior.

"In that case, explain to us what you found. From the beginning." Her tone was calm, but there was a trace of impatience underneath."

It took several minutes for Ria to explain everything she had learned regarding the ExoGeni CEO's true actions over the past month. Her face flushed with shame as she was then forced to explain how she'd been tricked to spend two weeks chasing false leads. How she wished to omit any mention of her failure, but she knew that lying now would only make things worse. Not with how many strings the council held over her Spectre status.

"And that was all you managed to get from him?" the salarian asked when she'd finished, gazing at her intently with his large, black eyes.

"Yes, before he could tell me more, an assassin killed him. It was a sniper placed on a building across from us, there wasn't any warning until it was too late," Ria shook her head. "I managed to chase the perpetrator down, but he killed himself before I could question him."

A minute passed in silent as no one spoke, the expressions of both councilors almost pensive as they exchanged doubtful glances.

"These tidings are most troubling," the asari representative said at last, her tone grave. "We'd known that this was a possibility, but we'd hoped it otherwise. If someone so high in ExoGeni's command, like Executive Wethern, has allied himself with the group behind these attacks, then who knows what information they have been fed regarding Project Winter?"

"Have you gotten any closer to identifying those responsible?" the salarian asked once the asari had finished speaking.

"No, Councilor," Ria replied. Having to admit she was no closer than before only stung at her pride more.

"Your top priority now is to confirm what this Paulsen told you, and determine what information Executive Wethern has managed to feed to our foes," the salarian, his tone stern now. "After that you must find who is responsible."

Ria nodded. "Understood. I'll take my team to the ExoGeni headquarters as soon as possible. I'll get Wethern to talk, and hopefully—"

"No, not yet," the asari interrupted. "If my fellow councilor agrees, I believe you should wait on making any action for the time being. I propose we send another Spectre to aid you in the continuation of your mission. Once he arrives, the two of you will confront Executive Wethern before moving on to discovering the identity of our enemies."

"What?" Ria exclaimed, shocked by the asari's proposal. "I'm just supposed to wait here until someone else shows up to handle it for me? What, you don't think I can do this myself?"

"Spectre Shepard, calm yourself," the salarian councilor cut in, silencing her protest. "Councilor Tevos is correct, the situation has moved too far beyond the scope of what your were assigned to deal with."

"I assure you, we do not make this decision due to any shortcoming on your part. We respect your abilities, but you are still too … inexperienced, for us to leave a matter this serious up to you alone. As has been said, the mission before you is no longer the simple matter you were initially assigned to resolve."

_And I've been taking far too for your liking. You want this dealt with quickly, so you can just return to regular business like nothing happened_, Ria thought venomously. Not for the first time she was thankful that her mask hid her scowl from view. "Until then, what am I supposed to do? Sit around for what? Days? Weeks?"

"We appreciate your desire for haste in this matter, but we have made up our minds. Rest assured we will ensure that your backup will be sent within two days, three at the most," the salarian said, his voice carrying a silent threat warning her against stepping out of line. "Is that understood?"

"Yes …" Ria said, relenting.

"Good, in that case I believe this meeting can be brought to a close." The asari nodded, reaching out to tap an unseen console before her.

"Wait!" Ria called out, the councilors halting at her words. "If this is how things are going to be dealt with, can you set up the meeting place somewhere in the city? Someone random, keep it quiet"

"We will consider your request," the asari said after brief pause. With that she ended the transmission, the room growing dark in the absence of the holograms.

Leaning forward, Ria gripped the railing encircling the QEC, her breathing coming in hissed through clenched teeth. They weren't even giving her a chance. She screwed up and they weren't even giving her a chance to fix it. They had all but told her she'd failed, that she wasn't good enough to be a Spectre.

_Who's to say they aren't right? _An empty pang of shame rippled through her chest, any sense of pride or shattering like a thin pane of glass. _You're no Spectre, you're a fool, believing that a damn title could make a difference. If Dad was here instead of me, he wouldn't have failed like I did. He would have only needed days, not the weeks you spent chasing false leads. _

For several moments Ria didn't budge from the spot. It wasn't sadness or anger that she felt then, but emptiness. Cold, obliterating emptiness. Slowly, she turned away, staggering towards the exit. The door opened with a hiss, letting her out into the hallway

"Council sidelining you, huh?" a voice asked the instant she stepped into the hall.

Startled, Ria whirled around, finding Daron leaning against a bulkhead just to the side of the door. "How did you— How do you know that?"

"Was listening in on the whole thing." The mercenary shrugged.

"Yeah, huh. The comms room is soundproofed, so you couldn't have heard from out here. You have the room bugged or something?" A sudden flush of frustration reignited in her. She crossed her arms, giving the mercenary a flat stare. Why couldn't he just give her a straight answer, dammit?

"Core gave me access to his monitoring equipment in the room," Daron answered, shrugging again.

"Core?" Ria asked, glancing upwards.

"_He asked,"_ The geth replied, as if that was the only explanation he needed for his actions.

"Remind me to talk to you about that later." Ria sighed, the sound almost a growl as it came through clenched teeth.

"_Acknowledged."_

"So, you going to just listen to them?" Daron asked, watching her carefully as if waiting to see how she'd respond to his question. "You know waiting for backup is a mistake. We can deal with Wethern now, before more people die."

Ria said nothing, the mercenary's words seeming the echo again and again within her mind. Had she given up too easily? Had the blow to her ego been the only thing she'd cared about?

She squeezed her eyes shut as she again saw Paulsen fall in a spray of blood, the horrible look of surprise and fear on his face as he died burned into her mind. _Another dead, another I couldn't save. _She shivered, desperately trying to escape the scene playing out again and before her. More would join him if she didn't try, didn't act. How was she supposed to just wait and do nothing then? Not even try, damn the consequences.

Ria's eyes narrowed, an ember kindling in the core of her being, a flame that grew with each breath. "You're right, I'm not about the site aside and let more people get hurt. Besides, I don't enjoy being manipulated. That bosh'tet has made it personal."

Smiling, Daron nodded, turning away to go retrieve his gear.

"Core, tell Laura and Tarran to suit up and meet me in the cargo bay. Its time we've payed ExoGeni headquarters another visit."

**. . . . .**

For most of the ride no one spoke, the faint hum of the skycar's engine all that could be heard. Ria watched the city zoom by through a window. The seething anger that had been building all evening now threatened to spill over. For two weeks she'd done nothing but waste time.

"He'll regret screwing with us. That _det kazuat_ will regret all of it," she hissed, the words coming like the faint whisper of wind before the oncoming of a storm.

"Ria? You alright?" Laura asked, having been close enough to hear her.

"_Loiriz ni'lna_," Ria hissed in her native tongue, before repeating the statement so the human woman could understand. "Of course I'm not. Why do you even care, you were right about not trusting him. Isn't this where you say 'I told you so,' right?"

"Ria, I may be a bitch sometimes, but I'd never do that," Laura replied gently. "Look, Wethern's a scumbag, and we're right here with you in wanting some payback. But getting angry now won't do any good."

"Yeah, save it for when we catch the bastard," Tarran agreed, glancing back over his shoulder from the driver's seat. "Right now, we need our leader focused."

Closing her eyes, Ria's hands trembled against her lap as she fought to calm herslef. The feeling of anger dug its claws deeper into her even as she attempted to shake free from it. It would be so easy, so enticing just to let control slip away and surrender to the euphoric haze of rage. Calm… staying calm was so much more difficult.

With an effort she forced her breathing to fall into a slow, steady rhythm, Her hand stopped trembling. She sighed, gazing at the floor. "I'm sorry, it's just …. "

"You've got no reason to apologize. I don't think I'd be handling it any better if I were you. Worse, probably." Laura nodded. "Lets just kick some ass."

Pulling up outside the ExoGeni headquarters, they got out, a chorus of clicks and beeps filling the air as weapons uncollapsed. The building loomed before them as a dark silhouette, still and quiet in the dead of night.

"Alright, here's the plan," Ria said, keeping her voice low. "We need to move quickly, hopefully catching Wethern by surprise. If he's here, we keep him alive for questioning if at all possible. If he's not here, then we search the place, find what we can before tracking him down. We're not going in guns blazing, we only shoot if someone shoots at us first, got it?"

They all nodded, signaling that they'd understood.

"Right, let's go," Ria said.

Ascending the stairs, Ria motioned Tarran and Laura to take up positions to either side of the door. Activating her omni-tool, it only took her a minute to unlock the front doors without tripping any alarms. Standing, Ria spoke again. "We move in on three. One. Two. Three!"

Smooth and quick they darted inside, her team immediately fanning out to cover all sides of the room beyond. The reception area was dark, the only source of illumination coming from the city lights streaming through the windows behind them.

A chill crawled down her spine, the room seeming to drop ten degrees in an instant. The world seemed to have frozen still, so empty and quiet was the reception area. A thousand alarms seemed to go off in her head, something wasn't right.

Holding up an open hand, Ria signaled for her team to slow. They crept forward cautiously now, even the softest of footsteps echoing against the tile floors.

Sudden gunfire pierced the darkness. Ria rolled to one side as rounds pinged off her shield, coming out into a crouch behind cover. Bringing her weapon up, she fired back, a burst catching one of the attackers in the throat. He fell, blood streaming from his ruined neck.

In an instant, the rest of her team sprung into action. A well-placed shot a human's head head explodedfrom one of their foes. Laura's assault rifle barked a response, and a turian fell, dying. Blue light flared, and two more slammed into the back wall, the sound like a bundle of sticks breaking.

Whirling to her left, Ria took aim at the final enemy. A burst spun the man around as it slammed into his shoulder, before an instant later the second tore through his heart. He fell silently, dead before he even hit the ground.

The last echoes of gunfire faded away, the world plunging into utter silence once more. Slowly Ria let her gun lower, her chest feeling tight due to rapid beating of her own heart. The adrenaline fueled shock dissipated, the laser clarity of her senses returning to the more mundane perception of the waking world

Her body still tense, Ria slowly stepped forward to examine the bodies of her vanquished foes. Their green armor emblazoned with the ExoGeni logo marked them as just the building's security guards. Of the dead,Ria recognized the first man she'd killed as the gray haired guard that had accosted her on her first visit to the building.

_Were they part of what was going on? Did they even know? _Ria thought to herself, feeling a sudden pang guilt as she gazed upon the dead. Their cold lifeless eyes gazed back at her, as if passing judgment on her actions. _They probably were just following orders, doing their job._

"They were waiting for us. No way they responded to an alarm this quick," Tarran noted, his mandibles tightening in the turian equivalent of a frown.

"Probably saw us arrive on security cameras outside," Laura agreed. "Means they were expecting us. They must be desperate though, sending security guards to stop us"

"Doesn't mean everything they throw at us will be this easy," Ria said, burying her guilt away as deep as she could. "Stay sharp, we can't get over confident now."

Heading through the unmanned security checkpoint in the next room, the four quickly made their way to the elevator at the end of the hallway. Stepping inside, Ria hit the key that would take them to the top of the building. The elevator climbed up without a hitch until the one-hundred-and-seventh floor, the lift grinding to a halt with a sudden, violent lurch.

"Dammit, they must have shut down the elevator," Laura said, cursing under her breath.

"Your grasp of the obvious is always inspiring," Tarran countered dryly.

"Can it, you two, don't make me go back there," Ria cut in. Activating her omni-tool, she stepped up to the control panel. "Hold on, I'll try to get this thing—"

Before she could finish, Daron stepped toward, blowing the elevator's doors from their frame with a burst of biotic power.

"Or that works too." Ria shook her head. Climbing out onto the floor they'd stopped at, she looked around. They were in what appeared to be an average-looking office space, with dozens of desks in neat rows

Holding up her hand, Ria motioned for her team to advance slowly into the darkened room. Lights from passing skycars sent distorted shadows shifting across the walls. The utter silence was almost deafening, pressing down on time like an oppressive force.

"I knew you'd come Spectre, that you couldn't leave well enough alone."

Ria jumped as a voice cut through the darkness, blaring out from overhead speakers.

"Show yourself, Wethern, you coward." Her voice came as a raw shout, anger burning in her throat at the executive's voice. The calm she'd struggled to maintain began crack around her. It was only by a tenuous grip that she managed to catch herself from slipping into the hungry maw of rage.

_He'll pay, the bosh'tet will pay. Pay for lying to me, for tricking us. For letting more die to save his own skin. He'll pay. He'll pay._

"They said this would happen. I tried not to listen, but I knew they were right. The whispers knew you'd try to kill me, kill us," the executive continued, a laugh laced with hysteria filling the channel. "They knew, they knew. I can't let you find me, can't let you take me."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ria demanded.

"I was ready, I prepared just like was asked. Only way to escape," he continued, not seeming to hear her. A chorus of beeping suddenly filled the air, dozens of blinking red lights shining out from the darkness. _Explosive charges_.

"Die!" Wethern's voice cried out with an insane laugh.

Daron leapt into the middle of Ria and her teammates, a shimmering wall of blue light encircling them just as the world exploded around them. Glass broke as the blast blew out windows, desks and chairs shattering into jagged fragments that slammed into the biotic shield.

The lights came on as all at once, gunfire cutting through the smoke and falling debris. More of the building's security guards had burst out from a door at the far side of the room.

Daron's barrier flickered and died, the mercenary falling to one knee as he gasped for air.

Stepping in front of him, Ria returned fire, dropping one of the guards with two rapid bursts. To her left, Laura took cover behind a ruined carcass of one of the desks, firing her rifle full auto to cover the others. Tarran yanked two grenades from his belt, flinging them into the far end of the room. Two explosions tore through the enemy ranks, everything falling still as three shredded bodies tumbled to the floor.

Lowering her rifle, Ria turned and extended her hand to Daron, helping him up. "Thanks, we owe you."

"It's nothing," the biotic replied between gasping breaths. "Just took a lot out of me. Need to catch my breath."

Nodding, Ria took a step back, giving Daron some space while collected himself. At once a feeling of impatience began to gnaw at her, a shrill voice in the back of her skull shouting at her for wasting time.

She ignored it, using every ounce of self control to stay still. Daron saved all their lives, and even if he hadn't he _was_ part of her team. She owed him. Giving him a minute to breath was the least she could do.

After a minute Daron's breathing at returned to normal, the mercenary signaling with a nod that he was ready to continue. Stepping over the dead bodies at the far end of the room, they passed through the doorway their foe's hand entered from. Inside was a large stairwell that loomed up above them in an endless spiral.

"Right, only about sixity more floors to go. This is definitely going to be fun." Laura groaned, thick sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Not bothering to argue, Ria started up the steps. Minutes later they came out onto the hundred-sixty-first floor.

"Why … did … it have … to be … stairs?" Tarran panted, leaning against a wall.

"Screw everything else Wethern's done … I just want … to … to kill him for shutting down … the damn elevator," Laura agreed between gasping breaths. "Probably shouldn't have run up them though."

"Come on … we have to … hurry," Ria said, hunching over as she caught her breath. Despite her own words, it took a minute before they were all ready to continue.

Like the rest of the building the top floor was deserted. Crossing the room, Ria leaned in close to the door leading to Wethern's office, boosting her helmet's audio feed. Faint voices could be heard beyond the doors, but what was said she couldn't make out.

"Daron?" Ria asked in way of invitation, stepping aside to give the mercenary a clear path to the door.

Grunting in acknowledgment, Daron drew a hand back, azure light swirling around him. With a shout he threw the full force of his biotic power against the wooden frame. The door shattered, sending its splintered pieces strewn across the floor.

Charging inside, Ria's gaze fell on Executive Wethern. A look of shock was frozen on the executives face, for all appearances turned to stone. The two security guards standing to either side went for their guns, only to be gunned down by Laura and Tarran as they fanned out to either side.

Giving a startled cry, Wethern leapt out of his chair. He reached under his desk, drawing pulling a loaded pistol.

Snapping her arm up, Ria fired. The shot caught Wethern in the wrist just as he took aim. The gun tumbled from his grasp, Wethern howling in pain as he clutched at his bloodied limb

"Nice try, but you're not going anywhere," Ria said, advancing on him. "Laura, Daron, block the door. Tarran, weapons on him, shoot to incapacitate if he tries anything.

Wethern staggered back, his eyes wide with shock, "I can't let you, they say I can't let you," he babbled.

Crossing the room toward him, Ria stepped around the executive's desk, gripping its back edge as she passed. She heaved, tipping it over onto its side with a solid crash, spilling its contents onto the floor.

She regarded the mess for a moment before turning back to the cowering executive. She lunged, grabbing him by the collar. A spiderweb of cracks formed in the wide glass window as she shoved him against it, pinning him against it. With her free hand she pressed her rifle into his forehead.

"Who did you give the data to? What did you tell them?" Ria demanded, the glass creaking as she pressed Wethern against it more forcefully. "If you can't tell, I'm not in the mood to be yanked around."

"The whispers gave me no choice. Had to escape, had to," the executive replied, lifting a shaking hand.

Suddenly Ria became aware of the small cylinder held in his grasp. The executive's thumb was pressed down onto the trigger, a red light on the detonator side burning like a ember. Ria's eyes went wide, her chest seizing up as her heart skipped a beep. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, each beat of her frantic pulse sounding like the echoing slow beats of a drum. She shoved herself away the pinned man, she had to move, she had to get out now.

She was all to slow, making it only a single step before Wethern released his thumb "No one can know!"

A blue haze filled Ria's vision an instant before the world exploded into a blinding flash of white light. A weightless feeling filled her as blazing heat licked at her face, then a jolt of pain in the back of her skull. Then everything went black.

**. . . . .**

The first thing she became aware of was a throbbing at the back of her skull, its pain cutting through the dull haze. Groaning, Ria opened her eyes, blinking as the world slowly returned to focus.

"Ria, you alright?" Laura asked, kneeling down next to her.

"Ugghhh, my head." Ria groaned, struggling to pick herself up off the floor. "What happened? The explosion. How am I not dead?

"Daron pulled you out of the way with his biotics. Thankfully the explosive wasn't very big in the first place, small blast radius," Laura explained, slowly helping Ria to her feet.

Ria swayed on her feet, leaning against the wall for support. "Why does my head hurt, then?"

"Daron sorta threw you into the wall on accident," Laura replied, throwing an angry glance the mercenary's way. "We're lucky _that_ didn't kill you either."

For his part, the biotic said nothing, though as he met her gaze Ria though she saw an apologetic look flash in his eyes.

Turning away, Ria's eyes fell onto the spot where she and Wethern had stood a minute before. The explosion had blown out the windows and left dark scorch marks on the floor and overturned desk. Of Wethern's body, nothing could be seen, only drops of dried blood remaining in the room.

"What's left of his body was blown out the window," Laura explained, noticing Ria's gaze.

Nodding. Ria looked away from the scene, noticing Tarran crouched next to the computer terminal laying in front of the overturned desk. "It still works?"

"The desk shielded it from blast. Who would have guessed your little display of breaking everything would have actually paid off?" Tarran said dryly, a smile briefly breaking his grim expression. Then it was gazing at the screen intently.

"Find anything?" Ria asked, limping over to him.

"Wethern wiped almost everything before we got here, not just his own computer but ExoGeni's entire server system. Doesn't look like he did a very good job though. I managed to recover this from the hard drive." Tarran moved aside, giving her full view of the screen. "Its a contract between ExoGeni and a mercenary group called the Crimson Ghosts. Not much more is here, just the time frame of employment, payment, that sort of thing. While this could be nothing, the file was listed under the directory for Project Winter."

Ria nodded slowly, reading over the file. "Anything else?"

"No, everything else was too corrupted to retrieve anything useful. Core might be able to dig out more, but I did the best I could." Tarran sighed, shaking his head.

"If nothing else, tracking down this mercenary group might give us some answers as to what ExoGeni was working on. Also, if they're connected to this, we might not be the only ones looking into them," Ria answered, turning off the computer. She removed the harddrive then stood, staring out through the shattered windows. A chill wind rushed through the office, distant sirens sounding in the night.

**. . . . .**

_8/27/2211, Present day._

"After that not much else happened. We returned to the _Invisible_ and really waited. I still had to wait for you to arrive," Ria said, concluding her story. "Core went over the data, but he couldn't recover much more than Tarran. What he did find out was that the Crimson Ghosts are based on Alkimos , a Terminus System world not far from Illium."

"I take it that's where we're heading now?" her father asked.

"Yeah," Ria answered, sighing grimly. "Whatever those people were after with ExoGeni, they got it. This is the only lead we have left. Its a long shot, but at this point … well, I don't have much of a choice."

"Makes sense to me," Shepard said, his tone gentle.

"Did I screw this whole thing up?" Ria asked, gazing up to her father.

For a moment, he said nothing, Ria beginning to fear he'd never answer. "Honestly, Ria, I can't give you that answer. No one can say if you choose right or not, not until it's all through. You did try your best through, did what you felt was right. That's worth something, no matter how this does turn out in the end.

He placed a hand on her arm, squeezing it gently. "It probably won't seem like much, but I am proud of you."

Blinking back tears forming at the corner of her eyes, Ria threw her arms around her father, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Dad, you don't know how much … how much you saying that means to me right now. Thank you."

"I'd be a pretty terrible father if I didn't believe in my daughter from time to time." A wry smirk formed at his lips as he returned her hug. "Whatever it takes, I'll help you stop the people behind this. You have my word."

"Ha, I'd like to see them try to stop us." Ria laughed, breaking from the embrace at last. She lifted her arm to wipe away her tears, only to lower it again as she remembered her mask was in the way. "One Shepard is bad enough, with two of us they might as well just give up now."

* * *

**Glossary**

**Det kazuat:** Term of curse, considered especially crude. Literal Translation: Living sack of excrement.

**Loiriz**_: _Of course

** Ni'lna: **I'm not

* * *

Author's Note: Well, we are finally done with the flashback section, and can now move onto the story proper. I hope that bit didn't drag too long, did my best to make it as quick as possible.

Thanks go out to Palaven Blues for helping out a ton in betaing this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6: Crimson Fires

_8/28/2211_

"_ETA of arrival on Alkimos thirty-three minutes, seven-point-four-eight seconds,"_ Core announced over the ship's Intercoms.

"Tell the crew to meet me in communications," Ria replied, groaning as she rolled out of bed. Yawning she checked the clock at her bedside. Only four hours of rest, brilliant.

_Come to think about it, I can't even remember the last time I had a full night of sleep. _

Yawning again, she began picking up the pieces of her armor heap she'd tossed them the night before. A few moments later she strapped the last piece into place. Rolling still-sore shoulder, Ria winced as she eyed the exposed section of naked-suit, a reaction only half from the aching pain that followed the movement.

She'd discarded the ruined pauldron when she'd treated her wound the night before, leaving it behind in her haste to reach safety. Until she could procure a replacement, she would have to live with the visible gap in her armor between her arm and shoulder.

Grabbing her gear, Ria made her way quickly to the ship's comms room. A hiss of air sounded as the doors opened for her, Ria glancing around stepped inside. Blinking as her eyes adjusted to the room's brighter light, she saw that her father and most of her team were already waiting for her. They stood around the circular board-room-like table that sat in the center of the room, each of them glancing up to nod in greeting at her entrance. Of her ground team, only Daron was absent.

"Morning," Ria greeted, moving to the front of the table.

"How's your shoulder?" her father asked, the bluntness of his statement hitting jolting. He eyed the hasty repairs she'd done to the damaged section of her suit with obvious concern.

"Keelah, I'm fine Dad. You don't have to worry about me _all _the time," Ria replied, exasperation creeping into her voice.

"Actually, you'll find that I do. Clearly stated in my contract of fatherhood, 'must worry about daughter's well being at all time'," he countered.

"Section six, subsection C, right?" Tarran laughed. "Its the one my dad quotes whenever I did something idiotic."

Laura brought a hand up to cover her mouth, failing to stifle a snicker. Neither did the gesture doing little to hide the wide smirk Ria saw spreading across her face.

"Yes, yes, we get it, Alenko, I accidentally implied I'm a girl just now," Tarran added. An exasperated sigh escaped his throat. "Spirits, what are you, ten years old?"

"Give her some credit Tarran, I'dsay _both_ of you are _at least_ mentally twelve." Ria grinned behind her mask. "Core, please tell Daron to hurry up so we can get started _before_ we die gruesome, boredom induced deaths."

"_Understood. I will inform him that he is instructed to 'hurry up'."_

A few minutes later a hiss sounded as the door opened again. Ria watched as Daron entered the room and came to a stop at the room's mouth. Her eyes met his unreadable gaze for an instant, then he turned away. Moving over to an empty corner, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the bulkhead.

The sound of slow clapping filled the air. Turning to the sound, Ria saw Tarran regarding the mercenary with a sarcastic smirk "Hooray, we can finally begin. Congratulations Daron, you win the award for keeping everyone waiting."

Daron's eyes narrowed into daggers, a hissing growl escaping his lips. warning off any other jokes.

Ria rolled her eyes. Leave it to Tarran to 'poke the bear', so to speak. _To be fair, if he's teasing him, he _actually _considers Daron part of the team. And Daron hasn't tried to kill him yet. It's progress. _Still, it was probably best to change the subject now, before either had a chance to prove her wrong. "Right, lets start this shall we?" Ria said, clasping both hands together. "Core, visual aid please."

The holographic emitters at the center of the conference table lit up, a shimmering image of their destination flaring into being. "For those who don't know, we're arriving on a world known as Alkimos. An mercenary group known as the Crimson Ghosts based here were hired by ExoGeni for some purpose related to Project Winter."

Ria paused, staring into the flickering display before she spoke again. "Core, anything you can else about this world?"

"_Alkimos is garden world at the edge of the Terminus Systems, discovered in 2189. With repairs to majority of the Mass Relay Network within Terminus Systems' not reaching completion until 2203, Alkimos saw rapid development as a resupply point for ships passing between Illium and the rest of the Terminus." _Core explained, speaking so quickly that Ria had to struggle to keep with whenever he had an opportunity to explain something, the geth sounded positively gleeful, in his own overly-logical and emotionless way.

Ria nodded. "Find anything on the Crimson Ghosts?"

"_The Crimson Ghosts are a mercenary organization formed two years following Alkimos' colonization efforts. As a direct consequence of the region's high rate of pirate activity the group started with the purpose to provide protection for ships passing through the region, provided they could afford their rates. _ _Over the course of the a decade, the group established a reputation in regards to their abilities in repelling pirate raids. Now the band's very presence has the potential to deter hostile action against the vessels under their protection. The Crimson Ghosts all but controls Alkimos, ruling from their headquarters in the world's main outpost of Ashoria."_

"Core, how much of this are you just reading from the damn codex?" Laura asked, speaking up once the geth was finished.

"_Eighty-three-point-two-seven-six percent"_

"The geth left out that the Crimson Ghosts love to raid ships not under their protection," Daron's voice cut in. All at once the room, turned to look the mercenary's way. A flash of annoyance crossed his face, clearly at the prospect of having to explain in detail. Sighing, he resumed speaking. "Did a job protecting a small transport a few years back. Couldn't afford the Crimson Ghosts' rates, so they hired me. We were hit by what we thought were pirates. Was only after I'd 'dealt' with them all that I discovered that all of them had tattoos of the Crimson Ghost's emblem ."

"Figures, these guys sound no better than the big three mercenary gangs," Shepard replied, distaste clearing in his voice. "If I don't know any better, I'd say there's a fifty-fifty chance they'll just start shooting at us the minute we land on the world."

"To be fair, that _might _have something to do with the aura you Shepards seem to give off that makes everyone you meet try to kill you," Tarran said with a dry laugh. "If following Ria is an example, it's a common problem with your family.

"Getting ourselves into trouble is a talent of ours." Ria grinned behind her mask.

"That doesn't exactly inspire confidence," Tarran said, his tone bone dry..

"Look, moving on … our main objective is to find out everything the mercs know about the job ExoGeni hired them for. From what Paulsen managed to tell us, most of Project Winter was done on a remote site. Give what Core just told us, I'd bet they were hired to protect shipments going to and from this site …."

"…Which means that they can give us its location." Her father nodded, finishing the statement for her.

"Exactly. My main concern right now is finding out what our enemies—" Ria started to say.

"Skullheads," Laura interjected, cutting Ria off.

Ria gave the human woman a questioning glance, to which she shrugged and answered "Figured it fit, because of the helmets they wore. Its that or continue with the incredibly descriptive titles of 'those guys we fought' or 'our enemies' at any rate. I mean, seriously, the detail of those, pure art."

"Alright, as I was saying, my main concern right now is that the Skullheads probably knows where the project is being worked on. One way or another we need to get there as soon as possible. Thats what we're here to do."

Ria paused, glancing between those assembled before her. When no response was forthcoming, she continued. "Right then, if that covered everything then its time to get going. I want everyone down into the cargo hold in ten, and be ready to go."

**. . . . .**

The shuttle trembled as they dropped through the clouds, turbulence rocking its metal frame. Ria seized hold of a handlebar to keep from losing her balance. "Keelah, Tarran, would it kill you to fly this thing straight for once?"

"Hey, the winds this high up aren't exactly a picnic. I'd like to see you do a better job," the turian's voice echoed back from the shuttle's helm

"Give me the controls then so I can show you how its done." Ria retorted, having to raising her voice to be heard over the sudden roar of thrusters as the shuttle accelerated.

"Can we not, actually. I'd like to actually survive long enough to get shot at by the badguys of the day," Laura interjected. "No offense Ria, but you aren't exactly the most … sane, driver, of the group," She continued, then added in an undertone, "not that it comes as a surprise, given the stories Dad always told about your dad driving …."

"Hey, I'm a good driver!" Ria shouted in unison with her father, the older Spectre speaking up then for the first time. Giving him a sidelong glance, she saw that he wore an absolutely incredulous expression, one that would have matched Ria's own, had her face not been obscured by her mask.

Laughter filled the shuttle, so absurd this reaction must have seemed to the others. Ria even thought she saw Daron crack a smirk at this, though if he had the mercenary had quickly stifled it before she could get a closer look.

"_Bosh'tets_, all of you." Ria grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look like I _will_ piloting this damn thing next mission , thank you. Prove you _bosh'tets_ wrong."

"Well, it was nice knowing everyone," Laura said, her laughter abruptly ceasing.

Ria opened her mouth to retort, only to shut it again as Tarran spoke up suddenly, "Guys, as much as I'd hate to break up a rousing session of teasing our 'fearless leader', we might have bigger problems. You might want to take a look at this."

A faint hiss of static filled the shuttle as a view screen flickered into being. Ria blinked focusing intently on the image. _Ashoria_ could be seen, a mass of gray and brown against a sea of olive green of the tangled forest that surrounded. The cold morning sunlight glinted harshly against the glass of the taller structures, its glare visible even at this distance. Ria's eyes then widened as she then noticed the pillars of black smoke that rose up from within the city.

"Long range scanners are picking up strong heat signals from throughout the city. Its like entire sections of the place have been set ablaze," Tarran said.

Sure enough Ria began to see an orange haze that seemed to hang over several blocks of the city, the flickering light of distant flames growing more intense as the shuttle continued to draw in closer to the port.

"Keelah, w—what happened here," Ria heard Kel whisper, the sound of his voice barely to be heard over the hum of the shuttle's engine.

Straightening to her full height, Ria slung her rifle into a ready position in front of her. As by unspoken command, the rest of her team moved to prepare their own weapons. Within seconds they were standing to either side of her, guns trained on shuttle's exit hatch in anticipation.

With a gentle lurch the shuttle began to decelerate, gracefully dropping down towards a docking platform at the center of the colony's large port. A soft clang sounded, the shuttle's engines cutting off as it touched down.

Her team fanned out with practiced efficiency as they exited the shuttle, moving to cover all side in preparation for any imminent attack. Nothing moved within sight of them, the all-too-still port appearing for all purposes abandoned.

The silence that hung over them was broken by the muffled cracks of distant gunfire, the echo as the sound traveled through the city making it impossible to tell just how far off it was.

"Right, so what now?" Ria heard Laura hiss in a low whisper, the Marine turning to look her way expectantly.

"We move in slow, at least until we know who's responsible for all this. Eyes sharp and weapons up." Moving forward, Ria led the way as they moved towards the edge of the port. The city rose up before them as a solid wall of prefabs and makeshift buildings stacks on top one another, at least two-dozen layers or more high in some places.

Passing under the city's shadow, the flickering flames ahead became more apparent. The air grew hotter with every step, and the sharp odor of burning metal and rubber nearly overwhelmed the coppery scent of blood.

Ria froze, a crunch of a footstep in the gravel road echoing ahead. For a second nothing moved before her vision, then, without warning, five blurs of blood-red color burst into her vision. Five figures, crimson armor glinting the faint light, weapons drawn. One shouldered a long tube, a shill wail screaming out as a rocked burst from its end, white smoke trailing behind.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Ria watched helplessly the missile streamed towards her team. She was forzen in place, she couldn't move. She couldn't act! Stuck in the same snails crawl of the world around her.

Just then she a blur of motion could be seen out of the corner of her eye. Her father bounded into sight with impossible speed, moving as he alone has been unaffected by the halting of time itself. He slid to a stop in the the center of the rockets path, bracing himself against one knee. An omni-shield burst to life an instant the missile hit. There was a deafening boom, the force of the blast spreading to either side as it rolled off of the shimmer orange barrier

With a rush the world full into motion once once. Her reflexes took over now. She snapped her rifle up and fired. Her gun barked, the sound oddly distant, blood fountaining from the throat of the rocket launcher wielder as he fell lifelessly.

A batarian standing at the left fell as he was struck by a warp launched by Kel. The batarian screamed in agony, writhing on the floor as the warp tore him apart on the molecular level. Sprays of crimson erupted from two more of the red-garbed men as Tarran and Laura opened fire.

One of the last standing grabbed the fallen rocket launcher from the ground. Before he could an azure glow surrounded the tube, Daron pointed an open hand towards the weapon. The biotic clenched his hand into a fist, the launcher detonating in a cloud of shrapnel. The last two foes fell with two agonized screams, the rocket's ruin fragments shredding armor and bone alike. A moment later they stilled, dark pools of blood spreading out under them.

"Were those members of the Crimson Ghosts?" Kel asked, the small quarian's shoulders visibly shaking.

"Looks like it," Tarran replied, nudging one of the bodied with his foot. "Logo looks like theirs though I think the crimson armor was a giveaway."

"What worries me more is, you know, they _did_ kinda just tried to kill us. Lets not forget that," Laura said, frowning. "Either they thought we were with whoever caused all this, or …." She gestured at the black smoke rising from further into the settlement.

"… Or they're responsible," Ria finished for her. "Not sure which I like less."

"Only one way to find out," her father replied, his tone grim.

"Agreed," Ria dimmed her head in a sharp nod."Everyone, group up. We need to keep moving."

Moving back into formation, Ria led them forward into the town. The sounds of distant gunshots had died down now leaving only the sound of crackling flames. The silence grated on Ria's nerves, suddenly preferring the grim reminders of ongoing fighting and death that filled the air but minutes before.

Suddenly voices could be heard ahead. Between the crackling of distant flames and overlapping echoes, no individual words could be made out. However, it didn't take much for Ria to tell that amongst the voices were several terrified screams.

She stopped, motioning for her team to slow. Creeping towards, Ria inched around the corner of a building. In the street beyond she saw a group of a dozen Crimson Ghosts with weapons drawn on a group of terrified men and women cowering against a wall. Even as she watched two more mercenaries lead another civilian, a human girl no older than fourteen, out of one of the prefabs. The girl struggled to break free, her frightened cries filling the air as they tossed amongst the others.

Ria stifled a curse, her empty hand clenching shut. Anger threatened to take control of her, every instinct shouting, screaming for her to gun every single one of those monsters, to make each of them pay for what they'd done and for what they. Only caution held her in check then, the knowledge that they were outnumbered staying her hand. They couldn't just run in, not just for her own safety, but for the many innocents who could get caught in the crossfire.

One of the mercenary's barked an unintelligible order, pointing at one of the civilians. Two of the red clad men moved forward, dragging the turian that had been picked out. Tossing him down in the middle of the road, the captain strode forward, taking aim with his gun.

A gunshot echoed out before Ria could look away, the sight of the turian falling in a spray of blue blood burning into her eyes. The others civilians screamed, the sound cutting Ria to the bone. How dare they. How dare they, how dare they, how dare they! How dare they round up people up like cattle, execute as if they were merely animals only fit to slaughter. She had to stop this, she had to—

"Bring the next one."

Ria tightened her grip on her gun, hissing in anger she watched two mercs pulled the same teenage girl from. They shoved her forward, the girl tripped and fell, landing face first next to the patch of still-fresh blue blood. Terrified sobs filled the air, the girl's entire body shaking in fear.

The group's leader laughing cruelly, the sound stabbing like a knife at Ria's raised his gun, aiming it on the crying girl at his feet.

A heartbeat echoed like a drum in Ria's ears.

Another beat, it's sound louder.

Another beat. A red haze filled Ria's vision.

Another beat. Her body moved without command. She leapt to her feet, squeezing the trigger of her rifle.

Two gunshot filled the air, one after another. The mercenary leader's body jerked twice then fell. Blood the color of his crimson armor pooled out from under him, the man twitching once more before lying still.

A wisp of smoke curled from the tip of Ria's rifle, the weapon aimed at the spot the merc captain had stood a moment before. Glancing sideways, Ria saw that the second shot had come from her father, who likewise stood with weapon drawn. Behind her the rest of Ria's team moved, moving to stand at her flanks

Gone was any fear of being out numbers. Gone was any fear of others being caught in the crossfire. They'd all die for she if she didn't act. All that mattered was stop those monsters, stopping them, and making them pay.

"Drop your weapons, now," Shepard hissed, his voice cold as ice. "You have one chance, one damn chance before I kill every single one of you."

For several heartbeats no one moved, the remaining mercenary's starting at the enraged Spectre with looks of naked fear. Above the distant crackle of flames the girl's muffled sobs could still be heard.

"Kill hi—" one of the mercenaries started to say, his words cut short as Shepard fired a burst that took the man's head from his shoulders.

"I was hoping you'd do that," her father whispered, so quietly that even Ria had barely heard.

The scene fell into chaos, a roar of gunfire filling the air. Taking aim, Ria unloaded her clip into the two nearest mercenaries one after another, her targets falling in a spray of blood.

"Laura, Tarran, take out the three on the far right. Daron, Kel, cluster on middle left" she ordered quickly, ducking behind cover as she ejected her spent clip.

The pair opened fire, focusing down the three mercenaries once after another. Meanwhile Kel threw a warp the middle of a group of four an instant before a Daron's shockwave tore into the group. The two biotic fields intersected and detonated, the biotic explosion tossing the hapless mercenaries into the air.

An agonized screamed filled Ria's ears. Whirling in the direction of the sound, Ria looked just in time was watch her father step past the wounded mercenary trashing as it feet, not even seeming to notice the man as he unloaded his clip into the next foe. Ria watch on in stunned awe as he tore through mercenary after mercenary with ruthless efficiency, a trail of corpses left in his wake. Blood soaked the earth, a line of crimson that glimmered in the dim light like the sea under a rising sun. Slowly the gasps of dying men faded one by one, each caught in the Spectre's wrath slipping into the void.

A shiver rolled up her spy as she beheld his expression. Instead of the anger she expected she was an expression unnatural calm; just cold, empty, calm. Only his eyes betrayed his true fury, emotion, eyes that boiled with unbridled hate.

Just as quickly as the fighting had started it was over. Silence hung like a shroud, the crowd of terrified men and woman stared at Ria's team with looks of uncertainty mixed with hesitant hope, as if unsure what to think of the group that had killed their would-be executors.

At last Ria broke the stillness, turning her attention to the girl still lying in the middle of the street. Soft, choking sobs reached her ears as she approached, the sound so quiet it could barely be heard.

"You okay?" Ria extended a hand to the girl, her tone gentle.

"I— I … I don't … I think so," the girl said between sobs, looking up at Ria. Tears streamed from her large, brown eyes, a look of both fear and hope in equal measure

"Don't, you're safe now," Ria assured her, helping the girl up to her feet. She led the girl back to where the other people stood huddled. A woman with graying hair who looked like the girl's mother ran forward, pulling the girl into a tight embrace as Ria moved back to give them and the others some space

"What happened here?" Shepard asked, facing the group. He kept his hands up away from his weapons, his voice staying at a soft, gentle tone.

"I—I don't know," one of the other civilians replied, an elderly batarian with wrinkled skin. "They started going from door to door earlier today, we just thought they were after money for whatever new 'taxes' they just made up. Then they started shooting people, setting fire to buildings whenever they couldn't get in."

Ria felt her heartrate quicken, her entire body tensing as if preparing for the sudden onslaught of battle. The scent of fire and ash seemed to suddenly take on a horrid quality, an sickening order that caused her stomach to wrench. It wasn't just homes that were being destroyed, but lifes. How many had died, trapped, screamed as fires consumed them.

Ria shuttered. Forcing herself the banish the horrible images, she stepped forward to stand next to her father. "How many other people are still out there?" Ria asked. She glanced at the empty buildings around her as she spoke, wondering if these people were the only ones left.

"Not sure, but I don't think they could have killed everyone yet," the batarian replied.

"Don't worry, we'll put a stop to this," her father assured them, her stern voice carrying the unwavering confidence Ria could only wish her's possessed. "Where are they coming from, do they have a base somewhere?"

"They work out of a big building at the other side of town. It's practically a fortress. That way," one of the other civilians offered, pointing off to the east

Ria nodded. Good, she now had a destination, a goal in mind. Worrying about how many have and would die wasn't something she could easily deal with. But dealing with the problem, that was something she could do. _Heh, leave it to a Shepard to consider shooting stuff the easiest job. _

"You should make for the edge of the town, its not safe here. We've cleared the way behind us, it should be safe now," Shepard said, pointing in the direction they'd come.

"I thank you, human," the batarian said, nodding to me. Several more thanks came from the other civilians as they turned as headed back towards the edge of the settlement.

"So, least we know now who we need to shoot some more," Tarran said grimly, his mandibles tightening into a grimace. "What now?

"We need to split up our resources, moving as one group won't do us much good here," Shepard said, turning back to face Ria and the rest of her team. "We need someone focusing on getting the civilians out of the line of fire. Laura, you should take Daron and handle that, his biotics can cover large groups if need be. Tarran, go up top, find a spot with a good view of the city. We need you reporting on their movements and picking off small groups outside our reach. The rest of us will make for the merc's headquarters, where—"

"Dad," Ria interrupted, announced. She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot as she gazed at him expectantly. Receiving only a confused look in return, Ria sighed and explained, "its my team, you know. I _am_ the one who's supposed to be leading right now."

"Oh, sorry, force of habit," her father replied, holding out the palms of his hands in mock surrender..

"Right then," Ria said, turning her attention to her team. "… so yeah, go with what he just said. Its a good plan."

This drew a collection of smirks and stiffed chuckles from her. Rolling her eyes, Ria tapped her foot, waiting the moment it too for her team to actually begin following the order's they'd been given.

Once Laura, Daron, and Tarran had split off a minute later, Ria turned back to her father and Kel. "Come on, lets move."


End file.
